Family Ties
by Brinchen86
Summary: Everyone needs a family. – DL, Fiesta
1. Meeting Jesse

**Summary: Everyone needs a family. – DL**

**Author's note: Huge thanks to Gwen24 for helping me and for beta'ing!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything.**

**Pairings: DL**

**Categories: Romance/Family**

**Rating: T**

"Daddy, come on, we have to hurry," seven years old Jesse Messer shouted. He was already standing at the front door, jumping up and down.

Danny laughed, amused by the boy's excitement. "Alright, buddy. But don't you think you should put on your shoes and jacket first? It's cold outside."

"But we don't have time," Jesse contradicted, already grabbing the door handle. "We have to go."

"Not without your shoes and jacket."

A few minutes later, the two could finally leave. Danny could understand his son's excitement. Today the boy didn't have to go to school and because Danny hadn't been able to get a day off or find a babysitter, he had to take his son with him to work.

The last time Jesse was at the lab had been a long time ago. A lot had changed since that day; the team had moved into another building and Danny had a new co-worker. A co-worker and friend who didn't know about his son yet; a reason why he was excited as well.

--

The first thing Lindsay did when she arrived at the lab in the morning, was heading straight to the break room to get a coffee. Actually she wasn't one who loved coffee, but since she worked for the New York Crime Lab for three months now, it had almost turned into an addiction.

Like every morning, she passed the office she shared with her co-worker and new friend, Danny. And like always, she threw a short glance into the room. But this time she stopped. There were a lot of people she would have expected to be in the room; Danny maybe, or one of their other co-workers. But the little boy, who was sitting at Danny's desk, surprised her.

Quietly she entered the room. The boy didn't even notice her; he was too busy with his current activity; drawing.

"Hey," Lindsay said, trying to get his attention. The boy, Lindsay thought he might be around seven years old, turned around, looking at her with huge, deep brow eyes.

"Hello," he greeted back, smiling.

"Hey. Uh… what are you doing here? Where are your parents?" she asked, unsure of what else to say.

"I'm waiting for my Daddy," he answered. "He said he'll be right back. He's working here."

"Alright. And…who are you?" Lindsay wanted to know, hoping that it might clarify whose son the boy was.

"I'm Jesse Messer," the boy answered, politely offering his hand to her.

At first, Lindsay couldn't help but just stare at him. What had he just said? Was there any chance that another person with the surname 'Messer' worked at the lab and then would leave his son in hers and Danny's office? No, that would be a huge coincidence. So the boy with the beautiful sparkling eyes was her co-worker's son? Obviously. Quickly Lindsay tried to remember if her friend had ever mentioned his son before. But no situation like that came into her mind. No, he hadn't talked about him yet. Or did she just miss it?

"Who are you?" Jesse's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh…I'm Lindsay Monroe," Lindsay answered, taking the small hand to shake it. "Nice to meet you, Jesse."

The boy chuckled. "Nice to meet you, too. My Daddy said you are nice."

"Oh, really?" Lindsay asked. So Danny had already mentioned her in front of his son?

She thought about asking more, but before either of the two could say anything, they were interrupted by a third person joining them in the office. Jesse instantly jumped up from his chair.

"Daddy, you're back!" he shouted, throwing himself into his father's arms.

"Hey Jess. Were you already missing me?" Danny asked, picking his son up. When Jesse nodded, embracing his Dad tightly, Danny turned his attention to Lindsay, who was watching the scene, still confused by what she had just found out. "So the two of you have already met."

Lindsay just nodded in response. She didn't know what to say in that particular moment. Danny, who instantly noticed that, set his son down again.

"Can you do me a favour?" he asked. When Jesse nodded again, he added, "Can you please leave me and Lindsay alone for a few minutes? Do you see your Auntie Stella over there? You haven't said 'hello' to her yet. You could do that now."

"Okay," was the short response and without any further comments, Jesse rushed out of the room.

Danny watched his son until he reached Stella, before turning back to Lindsay , who was still standing at the same place, staring at him. He always knew this situation would come and as much as he tried to be prepared for it, he still felt rather uncomfortable.

He had needed a long time to find out why he hadn't been able to tell her about Jesse . Actually it had even surprised him. Since Lindsay started to work for the New Yorker lab, the two had gotten along very well, had quickly become friends. Although that by far didn't describe Danny's thoughts about her, because since he saw her for the very first time, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her. She was present in his mind almost the whole time. He couldn't deny he was attracted to the young woman. Since the beginning, there had been something between them and Danny still hadn't really figured out what it was. All he knew was that it was something special and the thought of telling her he already had a son was frightening him.

But now she was standing in front of him, a questioning expression in her eyes, and he knew he had to talk, no matter how difficult it was or what she might think about him in the end.

"I'm sorry, Linds," he said, giving her an excusing smile.

"Why?" Lindsay asked back, seeming to be even more confused now. "What are you sorry about?"

"Because…I didn't tell you about Jesse. I should have told you about my son."

"Oh, that's okay," Lindsay quickly answered, trying not to look at him to reveal she was lying. Actually it was not okay to her, but she didn't want to let him know that. "It's okay, I mean…it's your family, right? It's your decision when to tell me you have a son. And a…girlfriend, or wife."

"I don't have a girlfriend or a wife," Danny replied.

"What?" Lindsay looked at him in surprise. "You …don't?"

Danny couldn't help but smile at her reaction. "No. I'm not married and I'm not engaged and I'm not in a relationship. I'm raising him alone."

"Wow," Lindsay exclaimed. When she saw the amused smile he gave her, she blushed slightly. "Uh...well, I mean, don't misunderstand me, not that you can't be a single Dad, but…I don't know. It just surprised me. What about…" Before she could finish her question, Lindsay stopped. Apart from the question why Danny hadn't talked about Jesse yet, there was also something else she wanted to know. Where was the boy's mother? But Lindsay didn't dare to ask. Obviously Danny wasn't together with her anymore and she was sure there was a reason for that. A reason he possibly didn't want to talk about.

"What about what?" Danny wanted to know.

"Nothing, I just…nothing," Lindsay stammered. When she saw how Danny raised his eyebrows at her, she sighed. "I don't want to be too curious. I was just wondering…what's with his mother?"

"He doesn't have a mother anymore," Danny answered.

Again Lindsay could feel how she blushed. This was even worse than what she had expected. "I'm sorry. I didn't know…I mean, I shouldn't…"

"It's okay, Lindsay," he interrupted her. "You don't have to apologize. I should have told you about him already , then maybe you wouldn't be so confused . It's just…the whole story is pretty complicated. Jesse isn't my biological son."

"He's not?" Lindsay asked, her eyes widening in surprise. The boy didn't have a mother anymore and wasn't even Danny's real son?

"No, he's not. Actually he was the son of two of my friends. They were killed three years ago. I've known Jesse since his birth, and after the murder I took care of him and later adopted him. I didn't want him to be sent to an orphanage. My friends wouldn't have wanted that."

"And so you took the role of being his father," Lindsay completed. When Danny nodded, she said, "Wow, that's great of you. I'm sure it wasn't easy."

"It wasn't but you get used to it." With a smile, he added, "I was a bit afraid first, but now I know it was the best I could have done."

"That's nice to know," she replied, smiling as well.

"But I still owe you an answer about why I didn't tell you, right?" Danny said. And before Lindsay could contradict again, he continued, "Look, that's not easy to explain. Actually I don't really understand it myself. It's just…I wasn't sure about your reaction. I wasn't sure what you'd say when you'd find out I already have a son. I…well, I might get myself into trouble when I tell you the truth, but I want you to understand me. I don't really know what you're thinking about me. But compared with my other colleagues, this…thing between us is different. I don't know how to explain it, but there's something special between us and, well, I was hoping that maybe some day we could also meet outside of work, maybe could go out together. Like a date or something. But I was afraid what you'd do when you learnt that I have Jesse. It happened more than once that I scared away women with that. I wanted to tell you about him later, when we knew each other better."

After ending his explanation, Danny looked at Lindsay, nervously waiting for her reaction. He hadn't expected himself to be that honest, but it had been necessary for her to understand him.

"You seriously scared women away because you told them you have a son?" she asked disbelieving.

"Yeah."

"Oh, wow." Lindsay shook her head. What a stupid behaviour. "And then you thought I possibly might do the same. I wouldn't go out on a date with you." She smirked lightly at the realisation of the meaning of what she had just said. Danny wanted to go out on a date with her? That was interesting.

"Let's say I was unsure," he replied, blushing lightly. "So it's okay I didn't tell you about him earlier?"

"Of course it's okay," she answered, this time meaning it. "But why is he here today? Doesn't he go to school yet?"

"He does. He's already seven," Danny answered. Feeling relieved that they had finally talked about this topic, he let himself fall into his chair. "But not today and because nobody could take care of him, I had to take him with me. The problem is I don't want to leave him on his own in the office all day."

"But you don't have to. I could be here with him," Lindsay suggested spontaneously.

"What? Really?" Danny asked surprised.

"Yes. I'll have a lot to do with paperwork today, so I can stay here with him. And at lunchtime I'll go and look if I can find something for him. You'll just have to pick him up after your shift."

"Oh, wow. You're the best, you know that?" Danny exclaimed, sighing in relief. "You just rescued me."

Lindsay chuckled. "That's no problem."

"Fantastic. And if you need something…"

"…I'll call you, alright," Lindsay completed, knowing exactly what he wanted to say.

"Thank you," Danny said again, jumping up from his chair. "I owe you something."

With that he left the office to pick up Jesse, who was still talking to Stella, telling her about his favourite toy.

Lindsay spent the rest of the day in her office with Jesse. But paperwork had already taken a backseat after the first ten minutes. Lindsay was amused by the little boy. He talked a lot and asked even more questions, his excitement was influencing. Apart from that, Lindsay had also noticed that sometimes Jesse's behaviour reminded her of Danny's, and that the boy was very polite. She had to admit that Danny had done a great work with raising him and she couldn't deny she had a lot of fun while taking care of Jesse.

The hours passed quickly. It was already late in the afternoon when Danny entered the office again. He found his son lying on the couch, covered with what he identified as Lindsay's jacket, deep asleep.

"Looks like he had a hard day, huh? I hope he wasn't too exhausting," he whispered smiling.

Lindsay chuckled. "No. He's so cute. If you ever need a babysitter again, just ask me."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Carefully and with Lindsay's help, Danny picked Jesse up from the couch. But before he could head to the door, Jesse moved in his arms and grabbed a handful of Lindsay's shirt.

"Come with us, Lindsay," he mumbled in a sleepy voice.

"Oh, sweetie," she said, smiling warmly at the boy's wish. "I wish I could come with you, but I have to stay here. I have to work."

"Can you visit us tomorrow?" Jesse asked.

"I'm not sure," Lindsay answered, looking up at Danny. "If it's okay with your Daddy…"

Jesse instantly moved in his father's arms, looking at him hopefully. "Oh, is it okay?" he wanted to know.

"Of course it is," Danny replied. To Lindsay he said, "I'll call you later, okay?"

She nodded. "Alright."

With that Danny left with Jesse. Lindsay, who had to stay at work for another hour, sat down in her chair again, still smiling. This day had been a huge surprise for her. Who would have thought she'd meet her friend's son? And would find out he was already thinking about dating her?

Lindsay loved the time she had spent with Jesse; she had already started to love the little boy. She had been serious when she suggested to babysit him more often. And if this meant she could spend more time with Danny as well, it was even better. Now she couldn't wait until she could go home and he'd call her.


	2. Babysitting

**A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm glad you like the story. And thanks for adding it to your favourites and alerts. Here's the next chapter for you.**

Lindsay had just arrived at home when her cell rang. She glanced quickly at the caller ID and then dropped her bag to answer the phone.

"Hey Danny," she said, smiling. "Good timing, I just arrived at home."

"Hey," Danny greeted back. "Lindsay, I know I already said that, but I can't thank you enough for taking care of Jesse today."

"Like I said, it was nice. He's really cute and entertaining. And I was serious about the babysitting."

"You know you don't have to do that?" Danny asked. "Although…I'd really appreciate it. The whole way home Jesse asked me when you'd visit us and when he'd play with you again."

Lindsay laughed. Jesse was really adorable. "I would really like to do it again, believe me."

"Okay. Well, Lindsay…to be honest, your suggestion is exactly what I need right now," Danny admitted. "Usually Mac lets me work from 9 to 5. But tomorrow he'll need me to work till 10pm. Usually the babysitter leaves when I arrive at home at 5:30…"

"And now you need someone who'll be there from 5:30 to 10?" Lindsay asked.

"Yes," Danny answered. "But…it's really okay when you don't have time for that."

"And what if I said yes?"

"That would be totally amazing."

Lindsay laughed. "Alright. And what am I going to do?"

"Wait…does that mean…you're going to do it?" Danny asked in a disbelieving voice.

"Yes, of course. So what am I going to do?"

"Oh, uh…well the babysitter will leave then. If you want, you can have dinner with Jesse. He goes to bed at 7pm. After that you can do what you want."

"Sounds nice," Lindsay answered.

"Really? So you're really going to do that for me?" Danny asked again, still not able to believe it.

"Danny, would you please stop asking that?" Lindsay asked back, trying hard to stay serious. "I'll have to work till 5, then I'll go straight to your apartment. And if I need something I'll call you. What do you say?"

"You're simply the best," Danny answered, his gratitude clear present in his voice. "Alright. Then we'll talk about the rest at work."

"Okay."

After Lindsay had hung up again, she shook her head in amusement. She had never seen Danny grateful like this before. For her it was no problem to be Jesse's babysitter and for Danny it seemed to mean a lot. She could understand him; she had already seen how much the little boy meant to him and she was glad she could help.

The next evening, Lindsay arrived at Danny's apartment at exactly 5:30pm, like promised. She was instantly greeted by Jesse, who had waited for her excitedly.

"Did you already have dinner?" she asked after the babysitter had left.

Jesse shook his head. "Can we cook together? Daddy and I always cook together."

"Of course. What do you want to eat? I can make really delicious pancakes."

"Oh, yay, pancakes!" Jesse cheered. "I want pancakes, please!"

"Great."

A few minutes later, Lindsay and Jesse had made a big amount of pancakes and were eating them at the kitchen table now. All the time the little boy was talking about his experiences at school; a place he obviously liked to go to.

"Oh, Lindsay, do you know what?" Jesse suddenly asked while trying to put a big piece of pancake onto his folk.

"What?" Lindsay asked.

"At the weekend Daddy and I will go to the zoo. In the big park. Have you been at the zoo in the park yet?"

"Yes, I have already been there," Lindsay answered, smiling while remembering her first day at work in New York. The first time she had met Danny.

"Did you like it?"

"Yes, it was nice," she replied.

"Oh, do you want to come with us?" Jesse asked. "Please!"

"Well, I think we should talk to your Daddy about that first," Lindsay said.

"Okay, when he comes home," Jesse answered determined, causing his babysitter to smile.

She liked how much the boy wanted to spend time with her. He was a cute and well raised child and if it was up to her, a visit at the zoo would be really nice, not only because his father would go with them.

After dinner it was already time to go to bed for Jesse. First Lindsay was slightly nervous if it'd be difficult to get him go to bed, but Jesse listened to what she was telling him and without complaining went to bed.

A few minutes after 7pm, Lindsay was sitting in the living room. For the first time since she had arrived she had time to have a look at Danny's apartment. It was how she had expected his apartment to be, mixed with toys, stuffed animals and pictures of Jesse.

In a picture frame next to the phone, she discovered the picture of a couple. Lindsay stood up to have a closer look. She instantly noticed how similar the woman and the man looked to Jesse. Obviously those were his parents.

But before Lindsay could pick the picture up, she was interrupted by a load noise. A scream, coming from Jesse's room. She rushed quickly over to the child's room. When she entered she room and switched the small light next to Jesse's bed on, she found the boy in a sitting position, crying, looking at her with huge frightened eyes.

"Send him away! Send him away!" he shouted, fear clear present in his voice.

After a brief moment of hesitating, thinking about what to do, Lindsay knelt down in front of the bed.

"Hey, hey, don't be afraid, everything is okay," she said, trying to get the boy's attention. "Look at me, Jesse. Everything is okay, nobody is here, only you and me."

"Where is Daddy?" Jesse sobbed.

"Sweetie, your Daddy will come home soon, promise," she answered in a calming voice. "But I'm here now and you don't have to be afraid."

Instead of answering, Jesse threw himself into Lindsay's arms, still crying. Gently she rubbed his back, whispering calming words to him until she felt how his crying became quieter and quieter.

Lindsay didn't have to talk to him to know he must have had a bad, frightening nightmare and she decided to talk to Danny about that later.

After several minutes, Jesse stopped crying again.

"You should go back to sleep now," Lindsay said quietly. "And if you need something I'm in the living room."

"Can't you stay here?" Jesse asked, looking up at her, his eyes pleading with her.

"Okay. I'll stay until you're asleep. Alright?" Lindsay suggested.

Jesse just nodded and lay down in his bed again. Lindsay switched the lights off and then lay down next to the boy, rubbing his back until both of them fell asleep a few minutes later.

--

When Danny arrived at his apartment, everything was quiet. Instinctively he went into Jesse's bedroom, smiling at the sight of him and Lindsay lying in the small bed, sleeping. As quiet as possible he walked over to them and knelt down.

"Hey Lindsay," he whispered, touching her shoulder gently to wake her up.

Lindsay mumbled something before she opened her eyes and turned around. "Hey. You're back," she said in a very sleepy voice.

Danny smiled at her. "Yes. Don't you think sleeping on the couch would have been more comfortable?"

Lindsay chuckled. Slowly she sat up, making sure she didn't wake Jesse up again. Then she followed Danny out of the child's room.

"Did he have a nightmare?" Danny asked after closing the door behind him.

Lindsay nodded. "Yes. Obviously something, or someone, scared him a lot. Does he have that more often?"

"Yes, unfortunately," Danny sighed. "It happens sometimes. Most of the time it seems to be the same dream. He has those dreams since…the murder."

"Did he…I mean, does he know what happened?" Lindsay asked.

"Yes. He was next door when the killer broke into the living room. He heard his parents scream and he heard the shots. When we found him in the kitchen, he was sitting under the kitchen table, crying."

"Poor boy," she said sadly. No surprise Jesse had still nightmares.

"Did he ask you to stay?" Danny wanted to know. When Lindsay nodded, he added, "That means a lot. It means a lot he wanted you to be there for him and that he was even able to fall asleep again."

"I'm glad I could help him," Lindsay replied, trying to smile. The little boy's story was still making her sad. Obviously he had gone through a lot. Even better that he had a father like Danny now. "Okay, I think I should go now. It's late."

"Oh, you don't have to go," Danny said. When Lindsay looked at him surprised, he explained, "You're right, it's late and I don't really want you to go home alone. And obviously you're tired. You can stay here if you want. I could sleep on the couch."

"No, I don't want you to sleep on your couch. Not after such a long shift," Lindsay contradicted. "It's no problem, I can just…"

"No, no contradicting," Danny interrupted her. "You'll stay here. If you don't mind you can…also sleep in my bed. It's big enough so we…wouldn't be too close."

"Are you sure about that?" Lindsay asked, hoping she wasn't blushing again. She couldn't deny she was grateful for this suggestion; staying at Danny's place was much better. And she even had to admit that the thought of sleeping in Danny's bed wasn't bad either.

"Of course I'm sure," he answered. And before she could contradict again, he added, "The bathroom is over there. You can use one of my shirts for sleeping."

"Thank you," Lindsay replied, smiling grateful.

A few minutes later, she entered Danny's bedroom, wearing one of his shirts and pants. Danny was already lying in bed, smiling at her.

"I hope the left side of the bed is okay?" he asked.

Lindsay laughed. "Yes, of course."

With a light sigh she lay down in the huge bed, wrapping the blanket around her body, making herself comfortable, before he switched the lights off.

"Have a good night, Lindsay," Danny said.

"Have a good night as well, Danny," Lindsay answered.

Then it was silent in the room and a few minutes later both had fallen asleep as well.


	3. The next morning

**A/N: OMG, wow! Thank you so much for all the reviews and alerts!!**

When Lindsay woke up the next morning, she needed a moment to remember she wasn't lying in her own bed. After blinking a few times to get used to the darkness, she turned around to the other side of the bed.

With a smile she noticed that obviously she hadn't dreamt; she was really lying next to Danny. He was still deep asleep, now spread over three quarters of the bed. A quick glance at the alarm clock, standing on the night stand, revealed she that she had still enough time to go home and change her clothes and anyway be in time.

If it was up to her, Lindsay would stay in Danny's bed, would lie next to him, would watch him sleeping. The more she thought about it the more she realised how much he meant to her and how comfortable she felt when she was together with him.

But despite her own wishes, she decided that it was time to get up. As quiet as possible she stood up and walked over to the door. But before she could even grab the door handle, the lights were switched on.

"Where are you going to?" a sleepy Danny asked, causing Lindsay to turn around to him again, With a smirk he added, "I've never seen you as one who leaves without saying good-bye in the next morning."

Lindsay couldn't help but laugh at this comment. "Oh Danny. You just woke up and you're already teasing me?"

"You know I love teasing you," he replied, winking at her.

Lindsay chuckled. "Yeah, I know. To answer you question, I just didn't want to wake you up."

"That's no problem," Danny answered, moving to the edge of the bed. "I have to get up anyway. I have to take Jesse to school before I head to work. If you want you can have breakfast with us. And of course you can also shower. And don't even think about contradicting again."

"You love having me here, huh?" Lindsay said laughing.

"Yeah, I do," Danny answered, sounding more serious than Lindsay had expected. After a brief moment of silence and just looking at each other, he added, "You can shower first, I'll go and wake Jesse up."

"Alright."

Around an hour later, Danny, Lindsay and Jesse were sitting at the kitchen table, fully dressed and enjoying the breakfast Danny had quickly made for them. Jesse was already fully awake and talking. Much to Lindsay's relief he seemed to not think about his nightmare anymore.

"Oh, Daddy, we have to tell you something," Jesse suddenly said excited.

"Oh yeah? What do you have to tell me?" Danny asked.

"At the weekend we'll go to the zoo and I told Lindsay and she has already been at the zoo and she liked it and can she come with us at the weekend?" Jesse wanted to know, putting all informations into one question. "Please, Daddy!"

"Oh, uh…of course she can come with us," Danny answered, throwing a short glance at Lindsay. "But did you ask her if she wants to come with us as well? "

"She said 'yes'," Jesse answered. "Right, Lindsay?"

"Yeah. Of course I'd like to go to the zoo with you," she answered, smiling at the excited little boy.

"See Daddy, she wants. So can she come with us?" Now Jesse was almost standing on his chair, hopefully waiting for his father's answer.

Danny turned his attention to Lindsay again, watching her for a brief moment, before he nodded. "If it's okay with her, yes."

"Oh, yay!" Jesse shouted out, almost falling from his chair. Danny, who managed to grab him before the boy and his chair could fall backwards, had a hard time with staying serious.

"I can understand you're excited, buddy, but if you fall from your chair we'll have to stay here."

"Sorry," Jesse replied, turning back to his pancakes. Lindsay could see how much he had to force himself to stay at the table and eat his breakfast and she had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from laughing. The more time she spent with the two Messers, the more she loved it. Those two were just incredibly adorable together.

A while later, the three left the apartment again. All the way to Jesse's school, the boy was talking about the zoo, over and over exclaiming how much he was looking forward to it. It was almost impossible to drop him at school, but after telling his son they wouldn't go to the zoo if he didn't finally leave the car and be a good pupil, he finally cooperated.

"So you really want to go to the zoo with us at the weekend?" Danny asked while the two headed to Lindsay's apartment so she could change her clothes. "I mean, I'd love you to join us, but you don't have to do that because Jesse wants it."

With a slight groan, Lindsay rolled her eyes playfully. "Danny, I'm really looking forward to next weekend. I love being together with you and your son." And with a grin she added, "You remember what you told me about dates? This could be something like a date."

"A date at the zoo with my son," Danny answered, laughing. "But I like the idea."

"Yes, me, too."

For the rest of the day Lindsay thought about her upcoming 'first date' with Danny. The two of them had always been close. But now, since Lindsay knew about Jesse, had taken care of him and even had slept in Danny's bed, she could feel that something between them was changing.

Deep inside she knew that since the day she met him she was attracted to him. No surprise, he was expressing something that had instantly caught her attention. But although she knew about those feelings, she had tried to tell herself there was just friendship between them. Nothing else.

Now, after those two days, she wasn't sure anymore. Lindsay was impressed and surprised by how everything had changed. It had all started with Jesse liking her so much, without even knowing it bringing her and his father closer and closer to each other. Lindsay decided not to rush anything, to just wait and see, but secretly she couldn't deny she had already built up a connection to the little family.

The following days passed quickly, and soon it was weekend. Lindsay had just woken up, still lying in bed, enjoying the comfortable warmth before getting up, when her cell suddenly rang.

"Hello," she answered sleepily, not paying attention to the caller ID.

"Hello Lindsay," a familiar voice said.

"Jesse?" she asked surprised.

A giggle came from the other end of the phone. In the background she heard Danny's voice saying something and Jesse answer, "But I only wanted to ask Lindsay if she's looking forward to the zoo…No Daddy, don't take the phone!"

Lindsay chuckled. "Jesse?" she asked.

"No, it's me," now Danny's voice spoke to her. "Don't ask me how he found out how to use my phone and how to call you."

"He's smart," Lindsay laughed.

"Yeah, obviously," Danny agreed. "So we'll pick you up at 10, right?"

"Yes," Lindsay answered. "Like we've planned it."

"Alright."

After she had hung up again, she was still smiling. So Jesse had stolen his father's phone to call her and ask if she was looking forward to the zoo? How cute.

In around two hours, Danny and Jesse would pick Lindsay up to spend a whole day with her. She was already looking forward to it.


	4. At the zoo

**A/N: Again thank you so much for all the reviews!**

It was exactly 10am when Danny and Jesse arrived at Lindsay's apartment. It was no surprise they were in time; if it had been up to Jesse, they would have been at Lindsay's much earlier.

Danny was still impressed by how much his son already loved her. Usually Jesse wouldn't love to spend time with a person he barely knew. He had always been an open person, but after the murder Danny had been the only one he had accepted in his nearness. Even his co-workers and friends the little boy kept on a distance. Except Lindsay.

But Danny could understand his son. There was something surrounding her that instantly made people trust in her. He noticed that the first moment he saw her. She was special, that was for sure. And although he would never admit it, Danny thought that maybe the connection between Jesse, Lindsay and him had a deeper meaning. Maybe his son was instinctively feeling what was good for them.

When Lindsay opened the door, Jesse instantly jumped forward, embracing her tightly, causing her to laugh.

"Hey Jesse, were you already missing me?" she asked.

"He didn't talk about anything or anyone else for the last days," Danny replied, winking at her. "He couldn't even sleep last night."

Lindsay chuckled. "Alright. Can we go now?"

"Yes, yes, please!" Jesse shouted excited, grabbing his father's and Lindsay's arms to pull them with him.

Around half an hour later, the three arrived at the zoo.

"Which animals do you want to see first?" Danny asked.

"The tigers!" Jesse immediately answered, his eyes sparkling. "They're the bestest."

Danny and Lindsay shared a short glance, both smiling. The tigers. What else did they expect?

"Is it the first time he's at the zoo?" Lindsay asked while they were on their way to the tiger cage.

"No. We're going to the zoo at least twice a year," Danny answered and with a smirk added, "But usually we're alone and don't have such a nice companion."

Lindsay only smiled in response.

When they arrived at the tiger cage, Danny instantly remembered the last time he had been at this place around three months ago. He could remember it like it had happened the day before. When they arrived at the crime scene, Mac had told him they were going to work together with their new co-worker for the first time. Their new co-worker- the person who'd replace Aiden. Danny had already been mad at her without even knowing her yet. He knew this was childish but he couldn't do anything against it.

But this had changed when he had seen her. For some reason he had expected her to be an arrogant, annoying woman, but she was the exact opposite. The moment he had seen her for the first time, she had caught his attention. She had this friendly, open expression in her eyes and always a smile playing around her lips. He had teased her, but not because he was mad at her or had a problem with her. She was sweet and he liked the way she reacted to his teasing. He knew they'd get along very well. And only a couple of weeks later, he had noticed that he had feelings for her which were already more than just friendship.

Now, three months later, he was at the zoo with her and his son, who totally loved her. This was more than he had ever expected and he liked the way everything between them was changing.

"Whoa, look!" Jesse's voice suddenly interrupted him in his thoughts. "Look how big the tiger is. And how he's looking at us! Do you think he wants to eat us?"

"No, I don't think so," Danny answered, smiling in amusement. "I'm sure he already had breakfast."

"So he won't eat me when I go in there and touch him?" Jesse wanted to know, a questioning look in his eyes.

"Jesse, you can't go in there, even if he already had breakfast, he's dangerous," this time Lindsay answered. "That's why he's in a cage."

"Oh," Jesse replied disappointed. "Daddy, can I have a cat then? Cats aren't dangerous and they're smaller so they can't eat us."

Danny couldn't help but smile at his son's question. It wasn't the first time he asked for a pet and although he always received the same answer, he tried it over and over again.

"We'll see. Not now," he answered.

"Oh Daddy, please!" Jesse pleaded.

Danny sighed. "I didn't say 'no'. But right now we really can't buy a cat."

"But why?" Jesse asked, still not giving up.

Danny hated those discussions, especially because he still had a problem with sticking to a 'no'. And if this wasn't enough, the little boy turned to Lindsay now.

"Lindsay, can you tell Daddy I need a cat?"

But to Danny's surprise Lindsay shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but I agree with your father," she answered. "How do you want to take care of a cat? Your Daddy is at work and you're at school. So the cat would be alone at home all the time. You really should wait a bit. But until this time- what about a toy cat? Or a toy tiger? That's better than nothing, isn't it?"

"Oh, a stuffed tiger?" Jesse asked, his eyes sparkling again. "Will you buy me one?"

"Yes, of course. But promise you'll wait a few years before you ask for a cat again, okay?"

"Promise," the boy exclaimed. "Daddy, can I have a toy tiger?"

"Yes, of course," Danny answered, much to Jesse' pleasure.

"Yay!" he shouted, before he turned his attention back to the tiger cage.

Knowing the animal had his son's full attention again, Danny turned to Lindsay, smiling.

"Thank you," he said. "You just rescued me."

Lindsay laughed. "That's not a problem. Adults have to stick together, right?"

Danny laughed as well. "Yeah, that's right."

Again he was impressed. Lindsay hadn't just earned Jesse's trust, he also listened to her and he liked the ideas she came up with. And again he caught himself by liking how she was becoming a part of his little family more and more.

The rest of the time the three spent at the zoo went peacefully. After Lindsay had bought the promised toy tiger, Jesse was happy and willingly followed her and Danny, even when they decided to leave the zoo after around five hours. At this point, the boy wasn't just happy with his toy but also exhausted and tired and a few minutes after sitting down in the care, he had fallen asleep.

At home Danny removed his son's clothes and put him into his bed. A few minutes later, he returned into the living room, where Lindsay was waiting for him.

"I have no idea when he slept in the afternoon for the last time," he said. "But no surprise, it was a great day."

Lindsay nodded in agreement. "Yes, it was."

"So what are we going to do now? Do you want to eat something?" Danny asked.

"If you want I can also go now. It's okay with me," Lindsay replied.

"No. I mean, of course you can go if you want. But…it'd be nice if you stayed here…for a bit. So we could talk, maybe eat together."

Danny wasn't sure how she'd react, but to his relief she smiled.

"Alright. Then I'll stay. But you don't have to cook, we can order pizza."

"That's what I was hoping for," Danny answered, smirking.

While they were waiting for their pizza, Danny and Lindsay were sitting on the couch in the living room, talking.

"I'm still surprised by how easily Jesse opened up to you," Danny said. "Usually he needs longer for that. That's maybe another problem some of my so called girlfriends had with him."

"It's difficult to find someone when you have a child, right?" Lindsay asked.

Danny nodded. "Oh yeah, believe me. Sometimes I didn't even get the chance to explain I adopted him. And when a woman had no problem with that, either she didn't get through to Jesse or she had not the slightest idea how to treat a child."

"Are you still trying it though?"

Danny shook his head. "No. I stopped dating a year ago."

"What? A year ago?" Lindsay looked at him in surprise.

Danny chuckled. "It's not what they're saying at the lab, right? But I don't care what anyone thinks or not thinks about me. My child is more important to me."

"That's good," Lindsay replied. "But…don't you miss it sometimes?"

Danny looked at her, hesitating for a moment, thinking about what he'd answer. But then he decided to be honest again.

"Sometimes I do miss it. Sometimes. But…since you're here so much…actually since I know you, it becomes better. I…like spending time with you. A lot."

"Me, too," Lindsay answered.

Then they were silent again, both just looking at each other. It was the first moment when Danny noticed how close they were sitting, how much tension was between them. The intense expression in her eyes had caught him.

Danny always knew there was something special between them. Something that was much more than just friendship. This moment was the proof for that. They were so close, only inches separating them. Only one small movement and they'd touch. They'd kiss. The tension between them was clearly present and both of them were aware of it.

But then they were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.

"I think…that's our pizza," Danny managed to say. "I'll just…open the door."

Lindsay nodded. "Alright."

While Danny stood up and headed to the door, he felt that Lindsay was watching him. They were both still impressed by the intense tension between them. And they were sure they'd soon have a moment like this again.


	5. The phone call

**A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm so happy you like this story. Thank you! :)**

When Danny returned into the living room after paying for the pizza and closing the door again, still feeling slightly dizzy after the intense moment with Lindsay, he heard how another door was opened.

Instinctively he turned around to Jesse's room, indeed seeing his son peeking out of it behind the half opened door. When he saw his father looking at him, he left the room, holding his new toy tightly in his arms.

"Can I have pizza, too?" he asked, first looking at Danny, then at Lindsay and then back at his father. "Please?"

"Hm…what do you think, Linds?" Danny asked, trying to suppress a smile.

"Do you like pizza with salami?" Lindsay wanted to know. When Jesse nodded, she added, "I think then you can definitely have some as well."

"Cool," Jesse shouted and rushed over to the couch Lindsay was sitting on while Danny went into the kitchen to get them plates and something to drink.

"What do you want to drink, Montana?" he shouted.

"Water would be nice," Lindsay answered.

"Why does Daddy call you Montana?" Jesse wanted to know, looking slightly confused.

"Oh, that's just a nickname your Daddy gave me. He says that because I'm from the state Montana," Lindsay explained.

"Where is Montana?"

"Do you know where the Rocky Mountains are?" Lindsay asked, thinking about how to answer the question best.

"Yes, I saw them in a book," Jesse replied.

"Good. And a part of the Rocky Mountains you can find in Montana."

"Really?"

"Yes," this time Danny answered, coming back with plates, pizza and glasses. "And there are also wheat fields, black bears and cowboys."

"Oh, can we go to Montana on vacation?" Jesse asked excited.

"Maybe. We'll see," Danny answered with a short glance at Lindsay.

For a brief moment a thought went into his mind. Actually Jesse's idea wasn't that bad. Why not visiting the place his Montana was coming from? Maybe even together with her?

The rest of the time Lindsay spent at Danny's apartment, the two didn't get a chance to be alone again. But anyway they could feel that this special tension from earlier was still there. When Lindsay left in the evening, Danny caught himself by already missing her a few minutes after his front door had closed behind her.

--

When Lindsay arrived at home, she couldn't deny that she suddenly felt lonely in her apartment. She was impressed by how much she was already used to being together with Danny and Jesse. And this was not everything.

Lindsay still couldn't stop thinking about how close she and Danny had been earlier. They wouldn't have needed much more to give in to the tension and kiss. But then they had been interrupted. This had ended their moment but not what was going on between them. There was something bringing them closer and closer. They couldn't do anything against it. And didn't want to.

The rest of the evening Lindsay spent in front of her TV, without really paying attention to what she was watching. She couldn't prevent her thoughts from drifting away. Drifting to him.

And so it was no surprise she almost jumped up from her chair when her phone suddenly rang.

"Hello?" she answered it.

"Hey, it's me," a familiar voice said.

"Danny?" Lindsay asked surprised, although she knew it was him.

"Yeah. I hope I don't…disturb?"

"You never do," she answered honestly.

"Fine. Lindsay, I…well, I just wanted to thank you. For this wonderful day."

"It was my pleasure," she answered, glad he couldn't see her blushing. "You love thanking me, huh?"

"Not only thanking you," was the response.

Those few words were enough to send shivers down Lindsay's spine, making her shudder. There was something in his voice that made her feel like a teenager in love. Even through the phone she could feel the tension between them.

"What…else do you love to do?" she asked, praying that she didn't go too far with this question.

"Doesn't matter as long as it has something to do with you," was his surprisingly honest answer.

For a moment Lindsay didn't know what to reply.

"Wow," was all she managed to say, causing her to instantly curse herself for the effect he had on her. "I mean, I…uh…To be honest, I don't really know what to say."

Danny chuckled. "That's no problem."

"Is…Jesse already in bed?" Lindsay asked, trying to talk about something less dangerous.

"Yes, thanks to your tiger," Danny answered. "You were right that it'd help. You were right with a lot of things."

"With what else were I right?" Lindsay asked, slightly alarmed by the sudden change in his voice. Did he sound sad?

"You were right when you thought I'd miss having a relationship. Having someone around me."

"Oh yeah?" she wanted to know, swallowing hard.

"Yes. I know this might sound weird, but sometimes I feel lonely. Maybe you wonder how you can feel lonely when you have a child, but…there's anyway something missing. Or someone. Someone who's there. I miss the comfort. The nearness."

"What made you realise that?" Lindsay asked carefully.

"You."

It was only one word but it was enough for Lindsay to almost drop her phone.

"Me?"

"Yes." She could clearly hear the insecurity in Danny's voice and she was impressed by how brave and honest he was. "I…miss you."

"I miss you, too," Lindsay said without actually noticing it. Her eyes widened when she realised what she had just revealed. But why should she lie? He was very honest as well.

"It's incredibly how…how close you can get to someone in no time," she added.

"That's true," Danny agreed. "And…well, I…was thinking that maybe we should have a…real date then. What do you say?"

Feeling how much it had cost him to ask this question, a strong warmth spread through her entire body.

"What about tomorrow evening?" she asked in response. "Or would that be too fast?"

"No," was the quick answer. "That would be perfect. I can ask Flack if he takes care of Jesse. Would 8pm be okay?"

"Of course," Lindsay answered.

"Perfect," Danny replied and she could hear the relief in his voice. "I'll pick you up at your place then."

"I'm looking forward to it."

A minute later, Lindsay hung up again. But her heart was still racing. Danny's phone call hadn't just totally surprised her, it had also revealed a lot about them and their feelings for each other. And they'd have their first real date as well.


	6. The first real date

**A/N: Again thanks for all the reviews! I was thinking about what I want to do with this story and I have a lot of ideas for it. I can't wait to write them. :)**

When Danny arrived at Lindsay's apartment the next evening, it wasn't even 8pm yet. Actually it wasn't his fault that he was too early; when Flack had arrived at his place, he had driven his best friend crazy with his nervousness. After he had brought Jesse to bed and had cleaned up the kitchen, rushing from one room into the other, Flack had grabbed his arm.

"You know what? You'll go to her place. Now," he said determined.

"But…"

"No but, Danny. You go now."

And so he had left and now was standing in front of her apartment, even more nervous than before. He hadn't knocked yet. But when he finally rose his hand, the door was suddenly opened.

"Oh, hey Danny," she greeted him, smiling. "I knew I heard something out here."

But Danny barely heard her. Too much he was caught by the sight in front of him. He always knew she was a beautiful woman, but now she looked just gorgeous. She was wearing tight, black jeans and a dark blue shirt, emphasizing her perfectly formed body. It cost him a lot to keep his fingers away from her; after the evening before this was almost torture.

"Danny? You alright?" Lindsay's voice interrupted him in his thoughts.

"Yeah, yeah, sure," he stammered, finally tearing his eyes away to look her into her eyes. "You're beautiful, Montana."

"Thank you," Lindsay answered, instantly blushing. "You look great yourself."

Danny smiled at her. "Thanks. Alright, can we go?"

"Of course."

A few minutes later, the two were on their way to a small restaurant Danny had chosen for them. At first they didn't talk much, both still feeling nervous. This situation was new to them. They knew each other for three months now and until this evening they had always pretended to be nothing else than just friends. They had started to spend more time with each other because of Jesse. But this evening, this date was just for them. There was no way they could deny they were slowly crossing the line between friendship and more.

When they entered the restaurant, Danny noticed how Lindsay's eyes started to sparkle, in the way he loved so much. They sat down at the table he had reserved and ordered their meals.

"This is such a beautiful little restaurant," Lindsay said, letting her eyes wander through the room.

Danny smiled at her amazed expression. He knew she'd like this place; small and romantic, exactly the way she loved it.

"I'm glad you like it here," he answered. "I thought it's perfect for our first real date."

"For your first date after a whole year you mean," Lindsay replied, winking at him.

Danny chuckled. "Yeah. I think I have to get used to that again. During the last year the only places I went to were zoos, playgrounds and toy shops. I don't even remember when I've been at a restaurant for the last time."

"I understand," Lindsay laughed. "A lot changes when you have a child. Especially when it's an active boy like Jesse."

"Yeah, definitely," Danny agreed, sighing playfully. "But let's not talk about me all the time again."

"Why not? Yesterday you said you're missing that. Someone who's there for you. I like listen to you. Tell me more about you, Danny."

"And what do you want to hear?" he asked.

"I don't know. Maybe about your childhood. Or why you decided to go to the police academy. Or how you decided to become Jesse's father. Just tell me something about you, no matter what it is."

And so Danny started. First he was a bit unsure; he wasn't used to talking about himself. But Lindsay's obvious interest in him changed his mind. He talked about his childhood and his complicated relationship to his parents and brother. He told her about his plans to become a professional baseball player and how he had to change his plans after breaking his wrist in a fight. The story about what had happened after the murder of Jesse's parents affected Lindsay the most.

"Do you think he saw what this guy did to his parents?" she asked.

Danny shrugged. "I have no idea. I visited a counsellor with him, but we didn't really find out much. I'm just glad we caught this person and he was sent to prison where he belongs to be."

"How was it for you?" Lindsay wanted to know. "How did you feel when you suddenly had to take care of a four years old boy?"

"It was difficult," Danny answered, remembering the beginnings of his fatherhood. "I mean I didn't really know anything about kids. And I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get through to him and that he wouldn't accept me. Jesse needed a long while to open up to me. He missed his parents so much."

Thinking about the first time with Jesse, Danny felt the familiar sad feeling rising inside him again.

"But now he even calls you Daddy. When did he start to see you as his father?" Lindsay asked.

"I'm not sure anymore. He needed a while until he got used to me. Somewhere along the line he started to talk more to me and some day he called me 'Daddy'. I don't know exactly how this happened and I didn't say much to it, I just accepted it this way, and since this day I'm his Dad for him. It made the whole situation much easier, because at this time I was already thinking about adopting him."

"He seems to really love you," she replied, a warm smile playing around her lips. "You can be proud of you for what you've done. Really."

Danny felt how he blushed lightly. One of his bad habits was that he often doubted the people around him. But Lindsay was different. Instinctively he knew she didn't fake her interest in him. It was a new experience. It felt good that someone actually listened to him and wanted to hear his story. Especially because this someone meant a lot to him. Maybe more than anyone else he had met recently.

They continued talking and after spending around three hours at the restaurant, the two left again.

On their way to Lindsay's apartment, both were silent. Their was an almost magical tension between them, caused by a wonderful date and intense talks. Whenever it was possible, Danny threw short glances at his passenger. She was looking out of the front window, all the time a tiny smile on her lips. She looked a little tired but happy. Again Danny felt the urge to touch her. He didn't think she'd mind, but something was still holding him back. He didn't want to ruin what was between them at this particular moment.

When they stopped at Lindsay's apartment building, Danny was almost sad. He didn't want to let her go yet. He glanced over to her and if he wasn't completely wrong, he was sure she didn't look amused about their arrival either.

"Do you…want to go up there now?" Danny asked into the silence.

"I think I have to," she replied, sighing lightly. "You have to go home to Jesse, right?"

Danny nodded. "Yes." He hesitated for a moment, fighting with himself. There was something he was thinking about since they had left the restaurant. But this was his last chance if he didn't want her to go. "If you want to you…could also come with me. I mean, you already spent a night at my place."

Insecure he looked at her. What would she say? That she rather wanted to go up to her own place? Or would she say yes?

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Lindsay asked him.

Danny nodded. "Yes. I'd be happy."

"Okay," she answered without any hesitation.

It was one word. One word and a beautiful smile. But it was enough.

"Really?" Danny asked disbelieving.

"Yes," Lindsay answered. She hesitated for a moment before she added, "It was a wonderful evening. And…it'd be sad if it ended already."

"Like always you're right," Danny replied, smiling at her as well.

With that he started the car again to head to his own place. He wasn't sure if there was any chance there'd happen more between them, but it didn't matter. They could spend more time together and right now this was all he wanted.


	7. So close

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you liked it. Here's the next chapter for you. :)**

The next morning Lindsay already woke up with a huge smile on her lips. She didn't need a single moment to remember the evening before. The evening she had spent with Danny. Their first real date.

Lindsay couldn't really remember when she had had her last date. Some time in Montana this must have been. Since her arrival in Montana she hadn't really had time for that yet. And she hadn't been in the mood either.

Maybe this also had to do with the fact that since she started to know her co-worker and friend Danny better, she lost interest in other men more and more.

Since she spent so much time with Danny and his son, she had noticed that something was changing between them. They were getting closer and closer. At first Lindsay wasn't sure if it was just her who noticed this. But then she received this phone call from him. A phone call that revealed a lot. He had noticed how much he missed having someone around him, how much he missed being in a relationship. And all because of her. He missed her.

This phone call had made her realise that she wasn't the only one who noticed the changes between them. And then they had been one for their first date. The night before. And it had been wonderful.

With a smile Lindsay remembered the romantic little restaurant and the long, intense talks they had had. To her surprise, Danny had been very honest again. He had talked about his past, about his childhood and baseball career and his fears and doubts when he had decided to take care of Jesse.

It had been a fantastic first real date. And so it was no surprise Lindsay had been sad when they had arrived at her apartment building again. She didn't want to accept the wonderful evening was already over.

But with one question Danny had changed everything. He had asked her if she wanted to come with him to his place, to spend the night over there. And she had agreed.

Now, the morning after, she was lying in his bed again, happily smiling. When she had decided to say 'yes' to his suggestion, she hadn't really expected anything to happen between them. Not that she would have minded, but it was okay to her. All she wanted was being with him a little longer.

It hadn't really bothered her when they had noticed Flack had fallen asleep on the living room couch. They hadn't woken him up; after checking if Jesse was still asleep, the two just headed straight into Danny's bedroom. They had undressed and had lain down in the huge bed Lindsay already loved since her first night she had spent in it.

They had lain down next to each other. In the same bed. And had talked. Nothing else. They had spent another hour with simply lying next to each other, talking. Lindsay didn't know if she should be surprised about that or not.

Was it surprising they hadn't gone any further? Hadn't even kissed? No, not really. The thing between them was more than sexual attraction. Their feelings were much deeper, much more intense. The fact that Flack and Jesse were sleeping next door didn't make it easier either.

But Lindsay didn't care. This one night had shown her that they were a lot, but not just friends anymore. There was something uniting them, something that meant a lot to her. More than having sex and being attracted to each other. She knew she could completely trust in him, and he could trust in her as well.

Lindsay wasn't sure how long she had just lain on her back, staring into the dark, mentally replaying the previous evening and night. A short glance at the alarm clock revealed it wasn't even 6am yet.

For a brief moment she hesitated. Then she reached over to the nightstand to switch the small light on, spreading a dimmed, warm light in the dark room. She turned around to the other side of the bed, smiling at the sight of a still sleeping Danny.

And again she felt it. The connection between them. Not long ago she had already caught herself by thinking she felt like a part of his little family, mainly because of how much Jesse loved being together with her. Now she knew this feeling had been right, and it was caused by the boy's father as well. The way Danny acted around her, treated her and talked to her, open and honest, showed her he accepted her that close to him. Even wanted her to be that close to him.

Instinctively and without really noticing it, Lindsay moved closer to him and reached over to him, stroking through his short hair gently and carefully. She instantly pulled back when she saw him tensing at the touch. A moment later he opened his eyes, looking straight into hers. When he noticed where he was and who he was just looking at, he smiled.

"Good morning," he greeted, his voice sleepy.

"Good morning," she greeted back, blushing slightly. "I didn't want to wake you up."

"It's alright," he answered.

"Because you have to get up anyway?" Lindsay asked, smiling at the memory of him saying that the first morning she had woken up in this room.

Danny smiled and nodded. "Yes. And…it's nice to have a few more quiet minutes with you. Just you."

Lindsay felt how she blushed even more. "Last night wasn't enough?"

He shook his head. "Last evening was wonderful. Last night as well. But no, I wouldn't say it was enough."

And this time it was him who reached over to her, sticking a curl behind her ear, his fingers brushing gently over her soft cheek.

"I'm glad you're here now," he said quietly.

"Me, too," she replied.

They remained looking at each other for a couple of minutes, neither of them able to break this eye contact; intense and full of emotions.

Later neither Danny nor Lindsay knew who had made the first step. All they could remember was that they suddenly closed the distance between them and their lips met in a gentle, warm kiss. The kiss deepened quickly and a moment later they were lying in a tight embrace, lost in the intensity of their very first kiss. Lindsay instantly felt a strong warmth spreading through her entire body. She couldn't get enough of the amazing sensation of his soft lips on hers and his hands roaming over her body. If it was up to her, they could remain like this for hours, and she knew he wouldn't mind either.

But again they were interrupted, this time by a noise coming from the bedroom door. When they heard how the door was opened slowly, they broke apart again, just in time to see Jesse's head peeking into the room.

"Good morning," he said shyly.

"Good morning, buddy," Danny greeted back, waving him over to them. "You're awake already?"

Jesse nodded, looking at Lindsay then. "What are you doing in Daddy's bed?" he asked.

"I slept here," she answered. This wasn't even a lie; actually she hadn't done anything else than sleeping.

"Is Uncle Don still sleeping on the couch?" Danny asked his son, trying to change the topic so Jesse couldn't even get the opportunity to continue asking more.

Jesse nodded, giggling. "Yes. Oh, Daddy, yesterday with Uncle Don was so funny!" And with a short glance at Lindsay he added, "But not as funny as with Lindsay."

With that he rushed over to the bed, jumped onto it and snuggled between his father and her. Danny and Lindsay shared a short glance, both smiling. Lindsay was blushing again, once more impressed and amazed by how the little boy showed her he liked and accepted her. And she felt like she could still feel Danny's lips on hers. Just a couple of minutes earlier they had finally crossed the line between being friends and more. And according to the looks in their eyes, neither of them regretted it. They had reached a new point in their relationship and both were excited to see to what else this'd lead.


	8. Kissing is allowed

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! You're so sweet! Thank you! hugs**

Danny, Lindsay and Jesse remained in bed for a few more minutes before the little boy rushed back into the living room to wake his Uncle Don up.

While Danny and Lindsay got dressed again, they were silent, only sharing brief stolen glances. But before she could leave the room, he grabbed her arm gently, causing her to turn around.

"I think I should hurry if I want to be the first one in the shower," she said, her eyes locking with his.

"There's no need to hurry," he whispered back, pulling her closer to him.

Before Lindsay could contradict, he took her face into his palms and kissed her again, gently but passionately. She instantly gave in, allowing him to pull her even closer. Everything around her suddenly seemed to be so far away. All that mattered were the two of them and the intensity of their feelings for each other. A couple of days earlier, Lindsay hadn't even dared to think they'd become that close in such a short time. But it had happened and now she couldn't get enough of him.

And so it was no surprise she was disappointed when he broke the kiss again.

"I think we should go now if we don't want another unexpected visitor," he whispered, placing another soft kiss onto her forehead before he let her go out of his lovingly embrace and headed to the door.

Lindsay remained standing in the bedroom for another brief moment. Instinctively her hand went up to her mouth, her fingertips brushing over the soft flesh Danny's lips had been in contact with just a minute ago. It was like she could still felt him holding her, kissing her, causing this incredible feeling deep inside; a feeling she knew but had never felt in such an intensity before.

A smile lit her face when she realized that this was just the beginning of something new, something wonderful. With this thought in her mind, she finally left as well.

When she left the bedroom, Lindsay couldn't help but chuckle at the sounds she instantly noticed coming from the bathroom.

"Daddy!! Stop that! I have water in my eyes!" Jesse screamed from inside.

"Jesse, would you please stand still?" Danny replied, his impatience clearly present in his voice. "Come on, stop jumping around or we'll never finish."

"But I can brush my teeth on my own! You always splash water in my face!" Jesse whined.

"I'm sorry. But now I'll brush your teeth, alright? Otherwise Lindsay and Don will never be able to have a shower before we have to leave."

"That's not fair!"

Still grinning, Lindsay headed into the kitchen, already smelling the delicious aroma of coffee.

"Good morning, Linds," she was greeted by Flack, who was already sitting at the kitchen table, a bowl of cornflakes in front of him. With a smirk he added, "Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning to you, too, Don. And yes, I slept good," she replied. Pretending like she didn't notice the look her friend was giving her, she grabbed a cup, filled it with the delicious smelling, brown liquid and joined him at the table. "What about you? Was the couch comfortable?"

Flack chuckled. "Not really. You were more lucky. You could even sleep in the bed."

"Oh, are you jealous?" Lindsay teased back. She knew about Flack's intention and what he wanted to hear from her without needing him to ask for it.

"Not really," Flack answered, a slightly disgusted expression on his face when he thought about sharing a bed with his best friend. "So how was the date?"

"Nice. The restaurant was great, we talked a lot. It was a wonderful first date," was the short answer.

"Oh, Monroe," Flack groaned, rolling his eyes at her. "That's all? You had nice talks? Hell, you even slept here."

"Exactly," Lindsay replied. "I slept here. That's all. Do you think there would have happened anything else while you and Jesse are next door? We talked and then fell asleep."

"Okay, if you say so," Flack answered.

With an amused smile Lindsay turned back to her cup. But when she felt how Flack remained looking at her, she glanced up again, raising her eyebrows.

"What?"

"You really like him, right?" he asked back. "He's more than just a date. More than a person you like spending time with."

Surprised by this sudden question, Lindsay blushed. She hesitated for a moment before she decided to answer.

"Yes," she said honestly. "Actually…I'm still surprised by where all this is suddenly coming from."

"Well, I'm not surprised."

"What? Why not?" Lindsay wanted to know.

"That's easy, Linds," Flack answered, smiling at her. "The two of you have this special chemistry since the day you met. Everyone knows that. It was just a question of time until the two of you would notice that as well. I'm glad it finally happened."

Lindsay didn't respond to that. She was stunned. Deep inside she always knew that the tension had always been there. But it had been so obvious? Everyone had noticed that there was something between them? That was very interesting.

A while later, after everyone had finally managed to shower, get dressed and have breakfast, Danny, Lindsay, Jesse and Flack left. While Flack headed straight to work, Danny and Lindsay took the little boy to school before they headed to her apartment so she could change into other clothes.

"Do you want me to wait here again?" Danny asked after parking the car on one of the parking lots in front of her apartment building.

"You can come up as well," Lindsay suggested.

Danny nodded, smiling. "Alright. Nice opportunity to see your place. It's about time; you even slept in my bed twice."

Lindsay just laughed at that.

A couple of minutes later, the two entered Lindsay's apartment. While Danny had a little sightseeing tour, Lindsay went into her bedroom to change her clothes.

She had just finished dressing, looking into her large mirror to check how she looked like, when the door was suddenly opened. Not expecting a visitor, she jumped around.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Danny said quickly, already turning around to leave the room again.

"It's no problem, come in," Lindsay replied.

Danny hesitated for a moment before he did what she had told him. He let his eyes wander through the small but lovingly decorated room before he looked at her again.

"Beautiful place," he said impressed. "Small but really nice."

"Thank you. I'm glad you like it," she answered.

And again they just stood in front of each other, their eyes locked. Lindsay was impressed by how often they did that; just looking at each other like this. It was like they didn't need any words to communicate. The expressions in their eyes were saying more than words.

Minutes seemed to have passed when she broke their eye contact again to glance at her watch.

"Oh, we've still an hour left till we have to work," she said surprised. "Looks like we were fast this morning."

She looked up at him again, walking towards him. "It takes around half an hour to get to work from here."

Danny nodded, watching every of her movements until she stopped right in front of him. "What are we going to do during the other half an hour?"

"No idea. Any suggestions?"

The two of them weren't even touching but Lindsay could feel shivers running up and down her spine anyway. The effect they had on each other was just incredible.

"There's a lot we could do," Danny answered, closing the last bit of distance between them, pulling her against him. "But…don't misunderstand me. If we do…this, I…I want it to be something special. Not something rushed, in between. I want that we take time for it, so I can remember it later, and never forget it again. You understand what I mean?"

"Of course I do," Lindsay whispered back, not able to speak louder, not sure if she could control her voice.

Had he just told her to wait? So their first shared night could be something special, something to remember? Of course she knew that he wasn't the guy she had thought he was when she had seen him for the first time. And he was definitely not the kind of man the people at the lab had told her; a man who wasn't able to have a serious relationship with a woman, who changed his lovers quickly. But that the thing between them meant so much to him, surprised even her.

"But kissing is allowed?" Lindsay asked.

Danny chuckled. "Yes, kissing is allowed."

And with that he bent down to her to pull her into another deep kiss. Holding each other, kissing and simply enjoying each other's nearness was how they spent the following half an hour. Lindsay wouldn't have minded if Danny and her had gone further. But if she was honest, she completely agreed with him. Their first shared night should be something special, like their whole relationship. And so it was okay to both of them to wait a little bit longer.


	9. The first night together

**A/N: Aww, you're so sweet! Thank you so much for all the reviews!! **

"I think we should go now," Lindsay said into the silence. "Otherwise well be later."

"Who cares if are late," Danny mumbled back, snuggling closer against her.

They were lying on Lindsay's bed, she was resting against his chest with her back while he had wrapped his arms around her tightly. He had rested his head against her shoulder, his eyes closed. Being that close to her was a wonderful, relaxing feeling. He could feel her body rise and fall with every breath, could smell the scent of her hair. If it was up to him, they could just stay at this place and skip work this day.

"And what are we going to tell Mac?" she wanted to know. "Maybe that we couldn't come to solve cases because we had to spend the day with cuddling?"

"Why not?" Danny asked back, chuckling. If Stella could see him at this moment. She had been the witness when he had said he didn't cuddle. And usually he really didn't, apart from his son, but this was something else. And now he was lying on Lindsay's bed, cuddling with her. And they didn't even have sex yet. Yes, most people wouldn't believe their eyes.

"Can't we stay here forever?" he asked, kissing her neck. "Please. Pretty please."

Lindsay laughed, her whole body vibrating beneath him. "You sound like Jesse, you know that? Now come, get up."

"Only when you promise something," Danny said, still keeping her pressed against him.

"Fine. What do you want me to do?"

"Can you come over to my place after work so we can continue this?"

As good as she could, Lindsay turned around in Danny's arms, looking up at him, his eyes questioning her.

"You're just too adorable," she said, smiling. "But we'll only cuddle, right? And kiss."

Danny laughed, kissing her onto her forehead. "This sounds like we're teenagers. But yes. Until we'll have really time for that. So what do you say?"

"I'd say that's a fantastic idea," Lindsay answered, moving up to him to kiss him.

A bit later, they finally left to head to work. It wasn't easy for them to concentrated this day. The urge to always look at each and to be close was almost overwhelming. So it wasn't surprising they ended up kissing in the locker room after half the time.

Later that day, after work, Lindsay kept her promise and went over to Danny's place, much to his and Jesse's pleasure. They repeated this for the rest of the week.

During this time, Lindsay also thought about how to arrange the perfect atmosphere for their first night together. Until now they hadn't talked to anyone about what was happening between the two of them. But Lindsay was pretty sure that Flack knew it anyway and so she asked him for help. She needed someone who took care of Jesse and Flack was the best for that. And, like she had hoped, he instantly promised to pick the boy up on Friday evening and bring him back at midday the next day.

Danny didn't know anything about her plans. He also didn't really speak about them sleeping with each other anymore. At this time he was already incredibly happy about how close they were. This was more than he had expected only a few days ago.

The week passed quickly and with Lindsay visiting him every evening it was even better. Then the weekend was close and Danny was really looking forward to it. He was happy when it was finally Friday. Until the day turned out to be pretty bad. When Danny came home after work, he was completely frustrated, mad and fighting with the urge to hit or kick something or someone.

Standing in front of his apartment door, he took a few breaths. He was sure Lindsay and Jesse were in there and he didn't want them to see how bad he felt. When he thought he was calm enough to not freak out at the slightest bit, he opened the door.

"Oh, hey," Lindsay greeted him surprised. "I thought you'd have to work longer today."

"Mac already sent me home," Danny answered, slightly confused by his surroundings.

According to the candles everywhere and the smell coming from the kitchen, she must have prepared something for him.

"Where's Jesse?"

"Don took him with him. He'll stay at his place tonight," she answered, pretty confused as well.

Finally realizing what was going on, Danny sighed.

"You did that all for us, right? So we could have the evening for us," he asked.

Lindsay nodded. "Well, I'm not finished yet, I thought you'd come later. But…you aren't in the mood anyway, right?"

"No, it's not that," Danny replied, sitting down on the couch. "It's just…" He stopped, shaking his head. His anger was rising inside him again, but he didn't want to freak out in front of her.

"You had a bad day?" Lindsay wanted to know, joining him on the couch. Gently resting her hand on his arm, she added, "What happened?"

"Nothing," he answered, but when he saw the look she gave him, he continued, "It was just a lot that pissed me off. First the case. Can you please tell me why a random person comes and kills a child? In what a stupid world are we living? The kid was on his way to school. He hadn't done anything. He was innocent!"

Noticing how his voice became louder and louder, Danny stopped again. He didn't want to start yelling.

"Did you catch him?" Lindsay asked, all the time stroking his arm gently.

"Yes. That's why Mac sent me home earlier," he replied. "But obviously some people have a problem with that."

"What do you mean?" Lindsay wanted to know, not understanding what he was talking about.

"When I went into the locker room, I heard to lab techs talking in there. I didn't really pay attention to them first, but then I noticed they were talking about me."

"What did they say?"

"Obviously they were pissed because I'm working from 9 to 5 most of the time. Mad like I was, I asked them if they had a problem with that and if they didn't know I'm working like this because of my son. And all they could say was that it's not fair anyway and that they don't get it because he isn't even my own kid. I had to leave, because I was close to exploding."

"I can understand you're mad now," Lindsay said. She knew how sensitive he was when it came to his son. "But don't think about that anymore. They're idiots, that's all."

"Yeah, maybe, but…I just hate that. What do they think who they are? The boy's parents were killed and I took care of him so he didn't have to go into an orphanage. I adopted him. He is my son. How can they say he isn't? Only because I didn't father him doesn't mean I can't love him like my son. And then they also blame me for working from 9 to 5? I'm a Single Dad, and I'm trying to work like this so I can be there for my child! Do they even have a clue how it is to handle a job and a child? I don't even want any help. But acting like this?"

Danny had to take a deep breath to calm himself down again. He wasn't sure if maybe he was just overreacting. But the behaviour of the two men had hurt him. A lot had changed since he had decided to be there for Jesse. But he hadn't cared. He loved the little boy and he couldn't bear comments like this.

"I'm sorry," Lindsay replied. "Some people just don't know what they're talking about. They don't even know you but judge you. It's sad, but the best you can do is ignoring them. I'm sorry you had such a bad day."

"No, I'm sorry," Danny answered, feeling how he started to calm down again. But while his anger became less, he suddenly felt guilty. "You prepared all this for me and I come home and ruin everything."

"Don't worry, it's understandable." She smiled at him warmly. Then she moved closer to him, resting her arm around his shoulder.

"Come here," she said, allowing him to rest his head against her shoulder. "Some days are just stupid. But now you have weekend. Just forget them. They have no idea what they're talking about."

"I know." Danny remained resting against her for a couple of minutes, enjoying her comfort, before he sat up again so he could look at her.

"I shouldn't have bothered you with my problems," he said.

"Your problems are mine as well," Lindsay answered, stroking through his hair gently. "And now- leave it behind you and relax. This is our evening and nobody has the right to ruin that, You're a wonderful father. Let them enjoy gossiping. Obviously they don't have anything else to do."

"You're so right," Danny agreed, finally smiling as well.

He wanted to say more, but when his eyes locked with hers again, he felt the familiar shivers running down his spine, causing him to shudder. So they were alone at home and nobody would interrupt them all night long?

For some reason, Danny's anger was suddenly gone again. Lindsay was right. This was their evening, their night, and no one would ruin that for them.

And before anyone of them could say anything, he pulled her closer and kissed her. Their kiss quickly heated up and without really noticing it, they made their way to the bedroom, already undressing each other.

Until now Danny had hated this day. Usually he would have come home now, would have dealt with his anger and sadness on his own. But not this time. Because this time Lindsay was there. What had she said? His problems were hers as well. He knew she meant what she said, because he could feel she was right. Who cared what others were thinking? They had each other and that was all that mattered.


	10. Dear Santa

**A/N: Like always, thank you so much for reviewing! That's so sweet! Wow, this is already chapter 10! I hope you enjoy it. :)**

It was still dark outside when Danny woke up the next morning. Surprised he noticed how early it was. How was it possible he was already fully awake after almost getting no sleep the night before?

Smiling broadly, Danny remembered the previous evening and night. He had felt pretty bad when he had come home. But somehow Lindsay had managed to make him feel good again, so that his anger was gone in the end and they could enjoy what she had prepared for them.

It had been a long night and Danny still felt a strong warmth rushing through his body when he remembered how close, how intimate they had been. It had been the first night they had slept with each other. Although Danny would rather call it 'making love'. For him it was clear that he had never felt something like this for another woman before. But was it a surprise? She gave him exactly what he had been missing all the time; warmth, nearness, comfort, support and the feeling he meant everything to her.

Lying in the dark with her tightly wrapped into his arms, Danny felt such an intense happiness that he wished he could embrace the whole world. He placed a soft kiss onto her bare shoulder, feeling how she immediately tensed at the gentle contact. She mumbled something before she started to move in his arms. A moment later the lights were switched on and a very sleepy Lindsay turned around to him, smiling at him.

"Good morning," she greeted, bending forward to kiss him gently.

"Good morning," he greeted back, smiling at her warmly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up that early."

"Why not? We should use our free time," she replied, winking at him.

Danny laughed, gently wiping a loose hair strand out of her face. "Yeah, that's right. But do you think I'm crazy when I tell you I...already start to miss Jesse?"

"Oh, no, it isn't crazy at all," she replied, drawing one of her hands through his messy hair. "It shows how sweet and adorable you are."

"Then we really fit together perfectly," he said, kissing her again. Then he pulled back again, looking her into her beautiful sparkling eyes. "I'm glad this happened."

"Me, too," Lindsay answered. With a smirk she added, "So how was it to have sex again after an entire year?"

Danny rolled his eyes at her. She still didn't get over the fact he hadn't had any relationships for so long, although everyone was telling completely different stories about him.

"I was just afraid I forgot how to do it," he answered, shaking his head in amusement.

"Ha, as if you have to worry about anything," Lindsay shot back, grinning broadly when she saw the look he gave her. "Oh, you don't have to blush sweetie."

"I'm not," Danny contradicted, cursing himself. Since when did he blush that easily?

"You're coming close to the colour of a tomato," Lindsay teased, clearly enjoying his embarrassment. "Hey, I'm just honest. Why should I lie when you were so good? Although good doesn't come close to it…"

"Alright, alright, that's enough for now," Danny interrupted her quickly, causing her to laugh.

"You think it's that easy to make me shut up?" she asked, still grinning.

Instead of answering, Danny pulled her close against him, kissing her passionately. No, telling her to be quiet didn't work. Kissing did. Good that he knew this trick now.

The rest of the morning, the couple remained in bed, spending the few hours until midday with passionate kisses and making love and cuddling. First surprised by the intensity of their emotions, they got used to the feelings they had for each other. The night before, Danny had managed to get the promise that Lindsay would stay at his apartment all night from now on. If he was completely honest, he also wouldn't mind her being at his place all day, but he didn't want to rush anything. They were together now, everything else would happen with the time.

During the next weeks, Lindsay kept her promise and stayed at Danny's place every night. During this time she had also started a new tradition with Jesse, taking him to bed and telling him stories about Montana. She barely spent any time away from Danny and Jesse; much to their pleasure.

It didn't last long until their other friends found out about their relationship as well. To neither of them this had been a surprise. Flack hadn't been the only one who had noticed the chemistry between them. But to Danny and Lindsay it was okay; they were happy together and everyone could know it.

It was a weekend in December. Flack had taken Jesse for the night so the couple could spend some quiet hours together.

At midday, Flack arrived at Danny's, with a very excited and happy Jesse. While Lindsay cooked lunch for them with Danny's help, the little boy could barely sit on his kitchen chair while telling all the funny things he and Uncle Don had done the evening before. Most of this stuff, like staying up until almost midnight, were things Danny usually wouldn't allow and so the visit at his father's best friend's place had been nice for him.

"Oh, Daddy, did you know that Christmas is soon?" Jesse suddenly asked, his eyes huge and excited. "Uncle Don said only a few more weeks. Is that true?"

"Yeah, it is," Danny agreed. Actually he was surprised that it was already December and his son hadn't asked about Christmas yet. "And that's why you should write your list for Santa."

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Jesse exclaimed. "Can I do it now? Please! I'll be really super quick!"

"I'm sorry, Jesse," this time Lindsay spoke, giving the excited little boy and excusing smile. "But lunch is finished. After that you can immediately do that."

"Okay," Jesse answered, not really happy, but accepting it.

"It's good you're here so often," Danny whispered while helping her to put the food onto the plates. "You just prevented me from having a discussion with him."

Lindsay smiled. "Yeah, who knows, maybe I'll even do that."

During dinner, Jesse was surprisingly quiet. Usually the boy loved talking, even while eating, until his father told him to concentrate on his food if he ever wanted to finish. This time he barely said a word and Danny started to worry. This was no common behaviour. He had a suspicion where this could come from, but wasn't sure.

"Are you already thinking about your list for Santa?" he asked.

Jesse nodded, barely looking up from his plate.

"And do you already know what you want?" Danny continued questioning.

Again Jesse nodded.

"What is it?" he asked, hoping the boy would finally speak.

"I can't tell you," was the answer.

"No? Why not? It's not a cat again, right?"

This time Jesse shook his head. "No. I promised that I won't ask for cats for a few years. Right, Lindsay?"

"Yes, that's right," she answered, like Danny surprised the little boy still remembered his promise. "Then maybe tell us how many things you'll wish for."

"One," was the short reply.

Even more surprised, Danny and Lindsay looked at each other. One wish? A seven year old and only one single wish?

"And you're sure you don't want to tell us what it is?" Danny made a last try.

When Jesse shook his head again, he decided to stop questioning him. He'd see it anyway when the boy would give the list to him.

Right after finishing dinner, Jesse rushed into his room to write his list for Santa while Danny and Lindsay cleaned the kitchen.

"Any ideas what his wish could be?" Lindsay wanted to know while putting the dirty dishes into the dishwasher.

Danny shook his head. "No, absolutely not. And usually he has a lot more than one wish and he also tells me about them. I don't really understand what's all this about."

"I think you'll find out soon."

A few minutes later, the couple was sitting in the living room again. While Danny was watching TV, Lindsay was sitting next to him, reading a magazine. While glancing at her every few minutes, he couldn't help the thought that they almost behaved like they were together for much longer, were maybe even living together. For a long time, Danny had never thought a moment like this would ever happen. But it had and now he clearly enjoyed the way his life had taken.

He was just watching his girlfriend again, when the door to Jesse's bedroom was opened and the boy came out, a white sheet in his hand.

"Here's the list," he said, offering it to his father to take it.

"Thanks, buddy," Danny answered, taking the sheet. "I'll give it to Santa then."

Without saying a word, Jesse nodded and left again, heading back into his room. Still confused by his son's behaviour, Danny looked at the paper, hoping to find an answer for the whole situation. He did the moment he read the few words. The moment he realised what he was actually reading, he couldn't help but just stare at the messy, large letters.

Lindsay, who had stopped reading, raised her eyebrows, slightly alarmed by the expression on her boyfriend's face.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Now I can understand why he didn't really want to talk about his wish," Danny just answered.

Without saying a word, Lindsay took the paper, her eyes widening when she read it.

_Dear Santa,_

_This year I have only one wish. No cat. I want a new Mommy. I have a new Daddy and I want a new Mommy, too. And please, can my new Mommy be Lindsay? She's so friendly and Daddy likes her as well._

_Thank you._

_Jesse_

While Lindsay read those few lines, Danny could see tears rising in her eyes. He understood her; he was feeling the same.

"He wants a new Mommy," she said quietly.

"Yes. And he wants you to be his new Mommy," Danny answered. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes of course I am," she replied, looking at him with the first tears already running down her cheeks, smiling. "It's just…I mean, I knew he liked me, but…I never expected that he'd see me as something like his mother."

"To be honest, I'm not that surprised," Danny said. When he saw the confused look she gave him, he explained, "He still knows he once had different parents. But for him I'm his father now. The problem is there never was someone who took the part of being his mother. Until you met him. You took care of him, you slept in his bed when he was afraid after his nightmare, you went to the zoo with us, you're here every day. And he's not blind, he knows we like each other a lot. He starts to see you as a mother. I'm surprised it happened that quickly, but I knew this'd happen some time."

"And what do you say?" Lindsay wanted to know. "I mean, do you think I…should do that? Being a Mom for him?"

"That's your decision. You have to decide if you can imagine yourself taking this role."

"And what if I'd love to do it? What if I'd love to be his mother?" Lindsay asked, smiling even more.

"This would be just wonderful," Danny answered. "So does that mean Jesse's Christmas wish can come true?"

"Yes, that's what it means," Lindsay replied.

Hearing her answer, all Danny could do was pulling Lindsay into a tight embrace. During the last three years he had always hoped to find a person who'd be a mother for Jesse, who'd make them a complete family. During the last time, he had started to hope that she could be this person. It was an amazing feeling Jesse already loved her so much. And to his luck, she was ready to take this very responsible role. They were getting closer and closer to becoming a real family.


	11. The talk

**A/N: OMG, thank you so much for all the reviews! I'm so happy you liked the chapter!**

"So, who of us is going to talk to him?" Lindsay asked. Somehow they had to talk to Jesse about his wish.

"I'm thinking that maybe its better I talk to him," Danny answered.

"Yes, I'm sure you're right," she agreed with him. "I'll just...wait here."

"Alright." Danny said and stood up. "And you're really sure about that?"

Lindsay nodded determined. "Yes, absolutely."

Looking into her eyes, Danny knew she really wanted to make this huge step. He could also see she was slightly nervous. No surprise, he could totally understand her. But for her it was easier now; she wasn't alone with this new situation.

And so Danny headed over to the child's room. Carefully he opened the door, finding his son sitting on the floor, playing with the tiger he had gotten from Lindsay and who he had called Montana.

"Hey buddy, may I come in?" he asked.

Jesse nodded. Quietly Danny closed the door again and sat down on the small bed. Jesse looked at him a little surprised, before he stood up and joined his father on the bed.

"Are you alright?" Danny asked, watching his son closely. Something was bugging the little boy; he could clearly see it in his eyes.

Jesse, nodded, hesitating. Danny could feel that he was close to opening up and so he waited patiently. And, like he had expected, the boy turned to him, looking at him with a mix of insecurity and sadness.

"I want to have a Mommy again," he said quietly.

Seeing the first tears already rising in Jesse's eyes, Danny pulled him into his arms, holding him in a tight, comforting embrace.

"Do you miss your Mommy...and Daddy?" he asked. He was pretty sure that the little boy thought about his parents sometimes and maybe this was one of those moments.

But Jesse shook his head. "Not much anymore. But...I want a Mommy again. I have a Daddy and I want a Mommy as well."

"I understand," Danny answered. He hesitated for a moment, thinking about how he could lead the talk into the right direction. But before he could respond anything, Jesse spoke again.

"Can't Lindsay be my Mommy?" he asked, moving out of his father's arms so he could look at him.

Surprised by the sudden question, Danny needed a moment to react. The pleading expression in his son's eyes was nearly breaking his heart. At this point he was incredibly glad he and Lindsay had already talked about this topic.

"You want Lindsay to be your Mom?" he asked.

"Yes," Jesse answered, nodding. "She is so friendly, and so funny. And she's here all day. Do you think I could ask her if I can call her 'Mommy'?"

Thinking about what Jesse was telling him, Danny started to understand where this sudden wish was coming from. During the last weeks Lindsay had spent almost every free minute with them. She hadn't just quickly become a part of his life, but of Jesse's as well. The boy was longing for a person like her; a woman who liked him so much, who knew how to treat him, how to be severe but lovingly and caring as well. Without even noticing she had already acted like a mother, and now Jesse wanted to make the last step- he wanted to call her 'Mommy'.

"I think you should go to her and tell her. What do you say?" Danny suggested.

"Is that okay?" Jesse asked, still a bit insecure.

"Of course it is," Danny answered, smiling at him warmly. "She's in the living room."

"Will you come with me?" the little boy asked, already standing up.

"Hey buddy, you're a big boy. You can do that on your own," he replied.

Jesse hesitated for another moment, then he really headed to the door and left the room. Danny remained in the child's room. He thought it was better if he didn't interfere. Lindsay would be able to handle this situation on her own, so he decided to wait.

Danny could hear the two of them talking, but couldn't understand what they were saying because Jesse had closed the door again when he had left. It gave him the opportunity to think. When he thought about what had just happened, he noticed that actually he wasn't really surprised. Like he had told Lindsay; he had known that this'd happen. Danny was just surprised about how much Jesse was wishing for a mother.

Danny could clearly remember what a hard time the little boy had had after his the murder. He had been relieved when Jesse had started to see him as his father after all the months they had spent together, after all the months Danny had tried to get through to him. It had worked; slowly of course, but it had worked. After adopting the little boy, he had hoped that one day he'd be able to give him a real family. And obviously this was happening right now.

After several minutes, Danny decided to go into the living room to check what the two were doing. When he opened the door quietly, the sight in front of him instantly warmed his heart. Lindsay was still sitting on the couch, now together with Jesse, who was snuggling against her side. While she was gently rubbing his back, she talked to him, telling him another one of his favourite Montana stories. When he came closer, the two noticed his presence.

"Oh, Daddy, Mommy is telling me about Montana again. Can we please go on vacation there next holidays?"

"We'll see, alright? Maybe in spring. I'm sure it's beautiful there," Danny answered.

"Hurray!" Jesse exclaimed before he turned his attention back to Lindsay. "Now continue."

Lindsay chuckled, but then went on with her story. Danny walked over to them and joined them on the couch, sharing a short glance with her when he sat down. It was obvious the two had talked. And again they had made another huge step into the direction of being a family. There was still much the two had to talk about, had to clarify, but this would be easy for them.

A little later, the two of them were alone again. Jesse was back in his room, playing happily, while Danny and Lindsay were sitting in their former position again.

Danny was looking at her, all the time thinking about how to break the silence. He hesitated for a brief moment. There was something he wanted to say. "Lindsay?"

"Yes?"

Danny took a deep breath before he looked at her. This wasn't easy. Actually he'd reveal a lot with what he wanted to say. And he had never done it before. But he didn't want to wait any longer.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you, too," she answered, without hesitating for a second.

The moment she had spoke it out, tears were rising in her eyes. But Danny could understand her; his eyes were filling with tears as well.

"We're going to be a family," he whispered, moving over to her. "Who would have thought that, after such a short time?"

"Who cares about the time? As long as we love each other, time doesn't matter," she whispered back.

Danny didn't respond to that. Instead of that he pulled Lindsay into a deep, loving kiss. He knew he didn't have to tell her he absolutely agreed with her. She was right. Who cared about how long they were together? They loved each other, more than they had ever loved anyone before. They belonged together.


	12. Surprise!

**A/N: Aww, thank you so much for reading and reviewing!!**

Lying in the dark of the bedroom, Danny was staring towards the ceiling for minutes now. As much as he tried it, he couldn't fall asleep.

"Lindsay? Are you already sleeping?" he whispered.

Lindsay, who was still awake as well, but now close to finally falling asleep, groaned.

"Yeah," she mumbled.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Danny asked.

"Didn't I just tell you I'm asleep?" she asked back.

But instead of being quiet, Danny switched the lights on now. Sighing, Lindsay, who had been snuggling against him, moved backwards so she could face him. Seeing the expression in his eyes, she instantly felt concerned.

"Are you alright?" she wanted to know.

"Yes, of course," he answered, giving her a little smile. After the weeks they were together now, he knew how easily she got worried. But what he was thinking about was nothing bad. "There's just…still something we should talk about. Because of Jesse."

"What is it?"

Danny hesitated, thinking about how he could formulate his thoughts and ideas best.

"For Jesse we're starting to become something like a real family now. Well, not just for him," he started. "And now I was thinking that…actually you don't need your old apartment anymore. I know, you like it and it's a nice place, but…why paying the rent for it when you're here almost all the time anyway? Especially now."

Once again he stopped, but when he looked at his girlfriend, he saw she had already understood.

"You're trying to ask me if I want to move in with the two of you?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.

Danny nodded. "Yes. Of course I can understand when that's too quick for you. I don't want to force you or something and you don't have to do it for Jesse either. But…we are a family now, and to me it'd make sense if you lived her with us. All the time. If you need time…"

"I don't need time," Lindsay interrupted him, smiling at his attempt at showing her he'd respect every of her opinions. "I love the idea. And I agree with you, it's better if I moved in here."

"So is that a 'yes'?" Danny wanted to know.

Lindsay laughed. "Yes, it is a 'yes'," she answered, much to her boyfriend's pleasure.

"Fantastic," he replied, trying to keep his voice quiet enough to not wake Jesse up. "Tomorrow I'll immediately talk to my landlord."

Lindsay chuckled in amusement about his excitement. "Yes. But now let's finally sleep. I'm tired."

"But that's so exciting."

"It is. But we'll sleep. Now."

"I love you, Lindsay," he whispered.

"I love you, too, Danny," she whispered back.

With that she switched the lights out and snuggled back against his chest. The two of them needed another few minutes before they finally fell asleep.

The next day, Danny kept his promise and talked to his landlord. Much to his relief the man had nothing against Lindsay moving into the apartment as well. And so the couple and Jesse spend the rest of the day with packing Lindsay's stuff and bringing most of it into her new place.

During the next week, the rest followed. When Lindsay stood in her empty apartment for the last time, she was surprised that she didn't feel the slightest bit sad. Sure, she had lived in this apartment for only a couple of months, but it had been her first own place in New York and she had spent much time with turning it into her new home.

But now her home wasn't in this apartment anymore. It was at Danny's place, together with Jesse. She knew she belonged to them and so it was much easier to move out than she had expected.

Lindsay didn't need a single day to get used to living in her new apartment; during the last weeks, she had spent almost every free minute there anyway. But while she and Jesse were busy with decorating everything for Christmas, Lindsay noticed that Danny obviously was busy with something else all the time. He didn't talk about it; she only noticed it when he came home later after work and made several phone calls she obviously wasn't supposed to hear.

First she didn't really think about his behaviour, but with the time, she started to worry. Especially when the answers to her questions where he had been and whom he had talked to, always were the same- 'nowhere' or 'nobody'. What was going on with him? Deep inside she was pretty sure that he wouldn't do something wrong or something she had to worry about. But she couldn't do anything against this feeling. She decided to give him a few more days, and if he didn't come up with an explanation then, she'd find a way to get behind his secret.

But Lindsay didn't get the opportunity for that. It was Saturday. One week had passed since Danny's strange behaviour had started. When Lindsay woke up, she found the other half of the bed empty. Being an easily worried person, she instantly shot up in bed, a slight panic rising inside her. So she almost missed the little paper lying on his pillow. Quickly she grabbed it to read the note.

_Good morning, Montana,_

_I'm sorry, but I had to go to an appointment. Breakfast is already finished. Just eat and get yourself and Jesse dressed. We'll meet at 12._

_Love, Danny_

Below his note she found an address. Surprised Lindsay raised her eyebrows. He had an appointment and wanted her and Jesse to come to this address? If Lindsay had been worried before, now she was completely confused. But if she didn't get up and drove to this place, she wouldn't find out and so she got up.

Around an hour later, Lindsay and Jesse were on their way to the address Danny had told her. They were early, but she wanted to be sure to be in time. And she couldn't deny she was still slightly nervous. Being a person who liked to be in control, situations like this when she didn't know what was going on, were hard for her.

"Mommy, where are we driving to?" Jesse asked from the backseats, an excited expression on his face. "And will we meet Daddy there?"

"Yes, Daddy will be there," she answered. "But honestly, I'm not sure where we're driving to."

"Oh, then it's the surprise!" Jesse exclaimed, even more excited now.

Surprised Lindsay glanced into the rare view mirror. "What? What a surprise?"

"Daddy said he has a surprise for us," Jesse answered, smiling broadly.

"Really? Do you know what it is?" Lindsay asked, hoping to get more informations about what was currently going on.

"Daddy said I'm not allowed to speak about it."

Lindsay sighed. So Danny had a surprise for her and Jesse? Obviously this was getting more and more mysterious.

At 11:45, Lindsay finally arrived at the address. She parked the car in front of a house; a beautiful, small house in a suburban area, around half an hour away from the city. For a brief moment Lindsay wondered if maybe she had driven to the wrong address, not having a clue what she was doing at this place, when the front door was suddenly opened and Danny left the house.

Together with Jesse, she left the car and headed over to him, who was broadly smiling at them.

"Daddy, I didn't tell her about the surprise," Jesse told his father proudly.

"That's really great," Danny answered, stroking gently through his son's hair. "Would you please go in there already? I have to talk to Mommy for a second."

Jesse nodded and without any further comments rushed over to the front door. When the little boy had left, Danny turned back to Lindsay, who was looking at him, still confused.

"I'm sure you want to know why we're here, right?" he asked.

"Oh yeah," Lindsay answered, nodding. "And then maybe you could also tell me what all those coming late after work and phone calls were about?"

Danny nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you earlier, but I wanted to surprise you."

"And what are we doing here?" Lindsay asked. She slowly got a suspicion, but wasn't sure yet.

"The house is the surprise," Danny finally answered. When he saw how her eyes widened, he explained, "I know, actually I should have talked to you. But…do you remember when I told you that actually my apartment is way too small for your stuff and mine, and for Jesse? You agreed with me and you said we could possibly move one day. Well, and coincidentally I saw an announcement in the newspaper the next morning. Someone wanted to sell this house here and I thought I could at least have a look at it. The moment I came here and entered the house I knew it's just perfect."

"So you…bought us a house?" Lindsay asked, still staring at him with huge eyes.

"Not yet," he replied. "I didn't want to buy it without your permission. I know, maybe I even should have talked to you earlier, but…I wanted to surprise you with it. And so I arranged the appointment for today. What do you say? Do you want to have a look at it?"

Lindsay nodded. "Of course. Why not?"

"Great."

With that Danny leaded her to the front door. Lindsay could clearly feel how nervous he was, and how excited as well. Obviously he had really fallen in love with this house and now hoped she'd like it, too.

When they entered the house, Danny leaded her through the rooms in the basement and first floor. His excitement was rising with every passing moment and when they stopped in the living room downstairs again, he could barely wait for an answer from her.

"What do you say?" he wanted to know.

"You want to know if I like it as well?" Lindsay asked back.

"Yes. If not it's okay of course. And I understand when this is too quick for your taste. We just moved in together, and of course we can wait. It's no problem. This is just a suggestion, that's all, but…"

"Danny?" Lindsay interrupted him. She could hardly prevent herself from grinning. "Would you please stop telling me that? I know I can say 'no'. But…honestly I have to agree with you."

"That means?"

"That means I can understand why you've fallen in love with this house," she answered, smiling. "Because I just did as well. Who cares if we just moved in together? Or how long we're a couple now? I'm not planning on going anywhere, so why not moving into something that's big enough for all of us?"

"That means you want it as well? You really want to buy this house?" Danny asked in disbelief.

Lindsay nodded. "Yes. Of course I want."

"Oh, wow," Danny replied, still not really able to believe she had seriously said yes. He pulled her into his arms, kissing her gratefully.

Lindsay, amused by his intense reaction to her answer, kissed him back. Of course she could understand why Danny had been unsure; they were together for around a months now and had just moved in together. Buying a house now was indeed very quick. But she didn't care. She had always been convinced that if she ever found a man she wanted to be with forever, she'd instantly feel it. With him she had this feeling. She wasn't afraid about the huge steps they were making. The three of them were a family, they belonged together. Everyone of them had once had a time where they had been alone, searching for a place they could call home. Now, in each other, they had found it, and nobody would ever be able to step between them anymore.


	13. First Christmas

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! Luckily the site is working again, so here's the new chapter. Enjoy. :)**

It was early in the morning when Lindsay woke up. She needed a brief moment to realize where she was. No, this was not her old apartment and also not Danny's place. She was lying in their huge, new bed, in their even bigger, new bedroom. They had spent their first night in the house.

A huge smile lit Lindsay's face. Their house. How wonderful this sounded!

And how wonderful the house was! Danny had been right when he had said it was perfect. It really was. There was enough space for all their stuff, for Jesse and they still had rooms left. First Danny had been slightly insecure because he had arranged an appointment without talking to her first. But if Lindsay was honest, it even would have been okay to her if he had bought the house. She hadn't needed a single minute to decide that they had to buy it. It was exactly what they needed. And what they wanted.

The last days and weeks had been stressful for them though. There weren't just their jobs and Jesse. They also had to prepare everything for Christmas and to move into the new house. Of course they could have moved after Christmas or in the new year. But both had agreed that they didn't want to wait any longer.

And so they had managed to do what had seemed to be impossible; they had completely moved in. Luckily Stella and Flack had helped them; without them it wouldn't have worked that fast.

Lying in bed, snuggled up against her boyfriend, Lindsay couldn't help but smile all the time. Last night they had spent the first night in their house. For Danny it had been a pretty short night though. It had been the day before Christmas and he had to arrange the presents for Jesse. This hadn't been an easy job, but while Lindsay had taken care that Jesse didn't suddenly wake up, come downstairs and ruin his surprise for himself, he had to do it on his own.

Now it was almost 7 am. According to Danny, it wouldn't last much longer until the little boy would wake up. Then it would be nearly impossible to keep him in his room and away from his presents. So she reached over to her nightstand and switched the lights on.

The moment the lights brightened the room, she heard a groan coming from Danny's side of the bed. She turned around to him, just in time to see him pull his blanket over his head.

"Hey, no hiding, Mister," she said, grabbing the blanket to pull it away from his head again. "We'll have to get up. Jesse will come and will want to have his presents soon."

"Yeah, so why don't we wait till he comes and wakes us up? Obviously he's still sleeping," Danny mumbled back, covering his eyes with his arm.

But Lindsay didn't give up that easily. "Come on, Danny, get up."

Again he groaned. "Do you know what I think? I think you just want to get up because you want to see your own present."

"Yeah, maybe. But don't tell me you're not excited for what I have for you," Lindsay replied.

"That's unfair," Danny answered, finally removing his arm from his eyes to glare at her playfully.

But before he could say more, both noticed a noise coming from the room across of theirs. They could hear how a door was opened. Danny and Lindsay shared a short glance before Danny stood up quickly and headed to the door. He opened it just in time to see his son reach the stairs.

"Hey buddy, what do you think you're doing?" he said, trying hard to not grin.

Jesse, caught in the act, looked at his father with a guilty expression. "I only…wanted to go and look if I can catch Santa."

"Jesse, you won't catch him anyway."

"Why not?"

"Because…well, he's Santa. He knows how to hide," Danny tried to explain. As much as it was good for Jesse to ask so many questions, for him it was difficult to always find an answer for them. He was already frightened about all the questions he'd ask him when he became older.

"But if Santa is gone already, can I see my presents?" Jesse pleaded.

"Yes, you can," Lindsay, who just appeared behind Danny, said. "But first you and I go and brush your teeth and Daddy goes already downstairs, alright?"

"Okay, okay," Jesse agreed.

But from Danny Lindsay already knew that brushing Jesse's teeth was difficult. Usually the little boy did that on his own, but when they had to hurry, sometimes one of them helped him. Like this morning. But Jesse's excitement didn't make it easy for her.

"Jesse, would you please come over to the sink? I won't brush your teeth while you're sitting on the floor," she said, toothbrush with toothpaste already in her hand.

Willingly the boy came over to her. "Do you think Santa is really gone already? And what did he give to me? Please, Mommy, tell me."

But Lindsay shook her head. "You'll have to be patient. And now stop jumping, or we'll never be able to go downstairs."

Jesse groaned but then managed to stand still, at least for a few minutes.

When the two left the bathroom around five minutes later, Jesse immediately rushed downstairs, almost falling down the stairs.

"Hey, hey, slow down, your presents won't run away that easily," Danny warned amused.

With huge, sparkling eyes, the little boy sat down next to the in colourful paper wrapped presents. The big, with a blanket covered object standing on a table next to the tree he didn't notice first.

"Can I open them now?" he asked.

When Danny nodded, the little boy smiled and started to unwrap his presents, while Danny and Lindsay sat down on the couch, watching him.

"Do you like what Santa gave to you?" Lindsay asked after Jesse had unwrapped the last toy car.

He nodded enthusiastically. "The cars are so cool! Much cooler than Paul's from my class. And the books are so pretty. Even one from Montana! Can we read it together?"

"Of course," she replied, smiling.

"But Jesse, I think you missed one of Santa's presents," Danny said.

The little boy looked up from the toy car he was currently playing with, his eyes widening.

"Another present?" he asked surprised.

Danny nodded, pointing at the covered object. "If I were you I'd go and look what's under the blanket over there."

"Really?" Jesse asked, throwing a shy glance at the table.

"Yes. Go and look."

After hesitating for another moment, Jesse stood up and walked over to the mysterious object. Carefully he grabbed the edges of the blanket and pulled it down. When he saw what was under the cover, his eyes started to sparkle even more.

"Yay!!" he shouted, staring into the Terrarium in front of him. "Turtles!!" He turned around to Danny and Lindsay, grinning broadly. "Oh, can I keep them, please?"

Danny laughed. "Of course you can. It's no cat. As long as you don't forget to feed them, it's alright."

"Thank you!"

Grateful Jesse jumped into his father's arms, grabbing Lindsay's shirt to embrace her as well as tight as he could. Then he rushed back to the Terrarium with the small animals again.

Danny and Lindsay shared an amused smile. They knew how much Jesse had wanted to have a pet. Because neither of them had time for a bigger animal, they had decided that something like small turtles in a Terrarium would be okay.

"Now what about us?" Danny asked. "Do you want to have your present now?"

"Of course," Lindsay answered, smiling. While Danny headed back into the bedroom, she went over to where her handbag was hanging. She took an envelope out of it and quickly hid it behind one of the couch pillows.

"Alright," Danny said when he came downstairs again, a little box in his hand. He grabbed her hand and leaded her back to the couch. "This is for you."

With that he handed the box over to her. Carefully Lindsay opened it. The moment she saw the necklace, her eyes started to fill with tears.

"Oh Danny," she whispered, tracing her finger over the small, sapphire pendant. "It's beautiful. How did you know I love sapphires?"

"Oh, according to the look in your eyes when we were in the jewellery shop last week, I guessed it," he answered, smiling happily that his surprise had worked. He took the necklace out of it's box and helped her to put it on. "Perfect."

"Yes. Thank you so much," Lindsay replied, kissing him gently. Then she remembered the envelope; Danny's present. Quickly she reached behind it and pulled the pillow out. "And this is for you."

Almost as excited as Jesse earlier, he opened the envelope. The moment he saw his present, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"What?" he asked. "You…you gave me…baseball cards? For…for the entire season?"

Lindsay chuckled at the expression in his eyes. "Yes. I know Flack has one and you always wanted to have one as well."

"Oh, did I ever tell you that you're the best?" he asked. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"You're very welcome," she replied.

But before Lindsay had the chance to say more, Danny silenced her with a passionate kiss, thanking her in his very unique way for the unexpected present.

It was their first Christmas together. Their first Christmas as a family. And the surprises they had prepared for each other, had been a full success.


	14. Stella and Flack

**A/N: Like always, thank you so much for reviewing!! You're the best! Here's the next chapter for you. Part two of Christmas.**

Later that day, Flack and Stella were supposed to come over for a visit. While Danny and Lindsay prepared the Christmas meal, Jesse didn't pay any attention to that. He was too busy with watching his two turtles. The present had been a full success and it had another welcome effect; Jesse was busy and didn't rush through the house all the time.

"May I ask you something?" Danny said while he and Lindsay were setting the dining table in the living room.

"Yeah, of course."

"Is there a special reason why you invited both, Stella and Don, for Christmas dinner?" he asked.

"Yeah. She's my best friend, he's your best friend and Jesse loves them both," Lindsay replied, smiling at him innocently.

"And oh surprise, both are single persons as well. What a coincidence," Danny said, rolling his eyes playfully. "Montana, do you really think I don't know what you're trying to do here?"

"So? What am I trying to do?" Lindsay asked back, looking him straight into the eyes, smirking.

"You," Danny began, walking around the table until he was standing right in front of her. "You are trying to get them together, right?"

"You have no evidence for that," Lindsay shot back, moving even closer until she could feel his breath tickling on her face.

"I don't need any evidence," he whispered. "I know you."

Lindsay chuckled. "Alright. But what's wrong with me wanting my two best friends to be happy like us?"

Danny sighed. "Why am I even discussing with you? You're right, like always."

With that he bent forward to kiss her lovingly. Of course she was right; they were incredibly happy together and everyone should feel like this as well. And he couldn't deny that there was something between his two friends. What had Flack once told him? It was about time he and Lindsay noticed the special chemistry between them. Now it was about time he and Stella noticed theirs as well.

It was afternoon when Stella and Flack arrived together. Lindsay watched them how they walked towards the front door, obviously talking about something. They looked a little confused and surprised; much to Lindsay's amusement.

"What are you looking at, Mommy?" Jesse suddenly interrupted her in her thoughts, pressing himself next to her to stare out of the window as well.

"Oh, Uncle Don and Auntie Stella!" he exclaimed and before Lindsay could stop him, rushed to the front door to open it.

"Hey Jess!" Flack greeted the little boy. "Merry Christmas to you."

"Merry Christmas to you, too," Jesse replied. "And to you, too, Auntie Stella."

"Thank you, sweetie," Stella answered, smiling, gently stroking though Jesse's hair. "Now let us in, it's cold outside."

In the house, the two were also greeted by Danny and Lindsay.

"So what are the two of you carrying in those boxes?" Lindsay asked, of course knowing that those were the presents for Jesse. "What is it?"

"Oh, we can't tell you, they're for Jesse," Stella replied, winking at her.

"For me?" the little boy asked excited. "Oh please, can I see what it is?"

"Of course," Flack answered and together with Stella set the small boxes down onto the coffee table. "But be careful."

Carefully Jesse started to open the two boxes. His eyes widened when he discovered what was in them.

"Two more turtles!!" he shouted. "That's awesome!"

With that he embraced Stella and Flack tightly before he looked at Danny and Lindsay excited.

"Can we put them into the Terrarium now?"

"Of course. I'll help you," Danny answered.

"Alright, and I'll go and have a look at the food. And you two, just feel like you're at home," Lindsay said and headed into the kitchen.

She had just opened the oven when she felt she wasn't alone in the kitchen anymore. Turning around she noticed Stella, smiling at her.

"Danny and Don are helping Jesse with the turtles," she said. "So I thought it might be okay if I helped you a little."

"Oh, you don't have to, you're my guest," Lindsay replied, mirroring Stella's smile. "But I like having someone here, so just sit down if you want."

While Stella sat down at the kitchen table, she let her eyes wander through the room. "Wow, you did a great work with the house," she said impressed.

"Yes. But without our two best friends this wouldn't have been possible," Lindsay replied, winking at her.

Stella laughed. "It was my pleasure." She was silent for a moment before she added, "And thank you so much for inviting me today."

"You're welcome, it's great to have the two of you here." Lindsay closed the oven again and joined Stella at the kitchen table. From their position they had a good view into the living room, where Danny, Flack and Jesse couldn't get enough of staring at the four little turtles.

"So you and Flack had the same idea for a present?" she asked Stella. "Although...why am I surprised, great minds think alike. And the two of you have a lot in common."

Hearing what her friend was saying, Stella instantly blushed. "Oh, you think so?" she asked.

Lindsay nodded. "Definitely." She watched Stella who looked back into the living room. Since she knew Stella she felt like the two of them was uniting something. Stella seemed to have the ability to read her mind. So Stella also hadn't been surprised when she had found out Danny and Lindsay were together. But Lindsay had the same gift. And so she didn't need a word to know what her friend was thinking.

"You like him, don't you?" she asked. "A lot."

Stella looked at her with huge eyes, ready to contradict. But then she changed her mind and sighed. "Well...yes. It's just...I don't know what my problem is, to be honest."

"Oh, believe me, I know the feeling," Lindsay answered. "But look what I have now."

Stella smiled. "If he and I would have what you and Danny have one day, I'd be the luckiest woman."

"You will, believe me," Lindsay promised.

She and Stella remained in the kitchen for a bit longer before Danny joined them and Stella went back into the living room.

"What were the two of you talking about?" he asked. "Or was it this typical girl's stuff?"

Lindsay chuckled, snuggling against Danny. "No, no girl's stuff. But I think my idea of inviting both of our friends was a good idea."

She looked back into the living room where Stella and Flack were sitting on the couch, playing with Jesse. And while watching them, she made a decision; the two of them would help their best friends to become a couple, just like them.


	15. Happy New Year

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! Here's the next chapter!**

"So I talked to Flack now," Danny said when he entered the kitchen where Lindsay was already cooking for the New Year's Eve dinner.

"Yeah? What did he say?" she asked interested.

"Well, looks like tonight he'll try to make the first step," Danny answered, sitting down at the kitchen table. "I have to admit your idea of bringing him and Stella closer to each other obviously was a great idea. It seems to work."

"Of course it works, what else did you expect?" Lindsay teased. Then she threw a short glance over her shoulder, raising her eyebrows at her boyfriend. "Do you like watching me while I'm working?"

"Actually I prefer watching you while you're doing other things," he replied, smirking at her. He stood up from his chair and walked over to her.

"Oh Danny, why did I know you'd say that?" Lindsay asked, groaning playfully.

"Because you know me," Danny whispered back, now standing right behind her. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her close against him.

"Danny, come on," she tried to contradict, closing her eyes at what he was doing to her with simply touching her. "I'm trying to cook here."

But instead of letting go of her, he turned her around, pressing her gently against the kitchen counter.

"There's still enough time left for cooking," he said in a low voice, his face so close she could feel his warm breath on her skin.

"Do I even have a chance to contradict?" she asked back.

"No," was the short answer. With that he pressed his lips against hers in a deep, passionate kiss, instantly making her breathless. Why did she even think about contradicting? She loved it when he did that.

"Ew," a noise coming from the door, suddenly interrupted them.

Instantly breaking apart, both turned around, seeing Jesse standing in the doorway, a disgusted expression on his face.

"Did you just say 'ew'?" Danny asked, raising his eyebrows at his son.

"Yes," Jesse answered, still with the same expression.

"There's nothing 'ew' at kissing, alright, buddy? It just shows how much Mommy and I like each other," he explained.

"But you won't make babies in the kitchen, right?" the little boy asked.

"No, don't worry," Danny replied, biting his tongue to prevent himself from laughing when he saw the look Lindsay gave him. "But can you maybe tell me what you're doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in bed and have a nap?"

"Uh…because…I did sleep," Jesse stammered.

"But how long?" Danny glanced at his watched. "Maybe half an hour? Means you're only allowed to stay up half an hour longer tonight. Looks like you're going to miss the firework."

"No!" Jesse shouted.

"Then go upstairs and sleep."

"Okay, okay." With that Jesse left the kitchen again and headed upstairs back into his room.

Satisfied Danny turned back to Lindsay, who looked at him with the same confused expression like before.

"Making babies in the kitchen?" she repeated what the little boy had said earlier.

Danny laughed. "Yeah. He already knows where babies are coming from."

"Oh, means I don't have to be afraid he'd ask me about sex, huh?" Lindsay asked, smirking.

"Don't be to sure about that, you know him. He's the master of asking questions."

Danny wanted to say more but then his eyes found something else, lying on the small table next to the phone.

"What's that?" he asked, taking the object into his hands before turning back to his girlfriend. "Is that a mistletoe?"

"Yep," Lindsay replied. "It's for Stella and Don. To give him a reason to kiss her."

Danny looked at her in disbelief. "You like to plan everything, huh?"

"You know me," she repeated his earlier words. She turned back to her meal, but then was interrupted by a touch on her arm.

"What?" she asked, turning around, just to see her boyfriend standing next to her again, smiling, while holding the mistletoe up in the air.

"I'm sorry, but you looks like you have to kiss me now," he said, pointing at the object in his hand he was holding above their heads.

"Oh Danny, will you ever grow up?" Lindsay asked, laughing, but then kissed him.

Later that day, their guests, which included Flack, Stella, Hawkes, Mac and Adam, arrived. Together they had enjoyed the dinner Lindsay had cooked for them. Everyone praised her cooking skills, causing her to blush for most of the evening. Later Hawkes, Mac and Adam started to examine the fireworks while Flack and Stella were still sitting at the dining table, talking. Danny caught Lindsay more than once while she kept an eye on their two best friends.

"You can't stop it, right?" he said while they were in the kitchen, trying to clean the amount of dishes.

"Can't stop what?" Lindsay asked innocently.

"Looking at them all the time," Danny answered. "I told you Flack will make the first step. But give him some time, alright?"

"Baby, I'm doing nothing," she said, walking over to him, this time pressing him against the kitchen counter, closing her arms behind his neck. "I'm just watching them, that's all. Watching the others while talking about fireworks is a bit boring."

"Then watch me. Or do other things with me," he replied, smirking at her.

Smirking back at him, Lindsay moved closer until their lips almost met, before she whispered, "You wish." and pulled back again, leaving him unsatisfied, heading back into the living room laughing.

"Very funny, Montana," he muttered, following her.

The hours passed quickly. Jesse, who actually had planned on staying awake, had already fallen asleep on the couch. Just in time to not miss the countdown, Danny brought him upstairs into his bedroom and came back downstairs again.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6,…"

"I swear, if you don't stop looking at them…" Danny threatened when he caught Lindsay again while she watched Stella and Flack, standing nearby.

"Then what?" she asked.

"Then I won't kiss you."

"Ha, as if you wouldn't."

"…5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Happy New Year!" everyone cheered.

While Pino, Mac and Hawkes embraced each other, Danny pulled Lindsay into a deep kiss that lasted until the need of oxygen almost overwhelmed them.

"Happy New Year, sweetie," he whispered into her ear.

"Happy New Year to you, too," she whispered back.

Then she let her eyes travel over to where Stella and Flack were standing near the coffee table. She noticed Flack had found the mistletoe Danny had forgotten to hang into the room. With a smile, he held it up over his and Stella's head, just like Danny had done it earlier, causing her to laugh.

"It's tradition," he said. "I think we have to kiss now."

Stella only laughed at that, but then indeed moved closer to him until their lips met in a gentle first kiss.

Shaking her head in amusement, Lindsay turned to Danny.

"Sometimes I really have the feeling Don is your lost twin," she said.

"I'd call that 'great minds think alike'," Danny replied. He just bent forward to kiss her again when they were interrupted by a very sleepy voice.

"Why do adults always have to kiss?" Jesse asked, looking disgusted again.

Laughing, Danny lifted him up into his arms. "One day you'll understand it. And then you'll like it, too."

"No, I won't!" the little boy answered determined, resting his head onto his father's shoulder.

Danny and Lindsay shared a short glance and smiled before he bent over to her to place a gentle kiss onto her lips. It was their first New Year's Eve together. When Lindsay had arrived in New York, she hadn't even dared to think about this day being like that. She had even been afraid she'd be homesick again. But now she was standing in her new house, together with her boyfriend Danny and Jesse, surrounded by their friends. Yes, this was way better than everything she had dreamt about.


	16. One evening after work

Slightly annoyed Danny groaned when his cell started to ring. He was just on his way home after having a long, exhausting shift. He wasn't really in a bad mood, no. How could he? He was on his way home. But he had the slight suspicion that his caller could be Mac, telling him to come back.

For a moment he thought about just ignoring the ringing object lying next to him. But then he sighed and took the phone. The moment he read the caller ID, a smile lit his face. This caller was welcome.

"Hey baby," he answered the phone.

"Hey," Lindsay greeted back from the other end. "I just wanted to ask where you are."

"I'm already on my way home. Well, already maybe is the wrong word…"

Lindsay chuckled. "Yeah. It was a hard day, wasn't it?"

"Definitely. But hey, just a few more minutes and I'm home. Do you want me to buy some take out?"

"No, just come home."

"Alright."

After hanging up again, Danny had to force himself to not press the gas pedal to drive even faster. All he had wanted for the last hours was simply driving home, to his family. And hearing Lindsay's voice at the phone, knowing she and Jesse were already awaiting him, made his wish increase.

Another quarter an hour later, Danny finally entered the small street. In the distance he could already see their house. And, like always, he smiled broadly. Although he, Lindsay and Jesse were living here for a few weeks now, he still had to get used to it. They weren't living in the middle of the noisy city anymore. They owed a house in the suburbs, with friendly neighbours and the possibility that Jesse could leave the house without them being afraid he could be run over by a car.

When Danny had parked the car and had left it, he stopped for a moment to watch their house, like always. He didn't actually know why he was doing that. Maybe because he still couldn't believe that this really belonged to him. But it was true. And it was an amazing feeling.

Still smiling, he finally headed over to the front door and went in, leaving the stress and memories of the day behind him.

"I'm home," he shouted. Surprised he noticed how quiet it was. Usually it was never quiet when he came home. Although they had only one child, it felt like they had at least five.

"Hey baby," Lindsay, who just left the kitchen, said, quickly making her way over to him to greet him with the traditional 'welcome-home' kiss; the same he did when she had to come home late.

"Where's Jesse?" Danny asked, still trying to find an explanation for the unusual quiet.

"Oh, Auntie Stella and Uncle Don thought it'd be nice to pick him up," she replied, winking at him. "He'll stay there tonight."

"Does that mean we'll have another free Friday again?" Danny wanted to know, smirking. Actually he wasn't a fan of giving his son away, even if it was for only one night. But he knew how much Jesse loved spending time with Stella and Flack and so it was okay.

"Yes. And I'll be all yours, just give me time to finish dinner. You can already sit down," she answered and with a smile headed back into the kitchen. Danny followed her with his eyes, raising his eyebrows at what he discovered. What was she wearing this coat and stilettos for? Several ideas instantly popped into his mind, causing him to smirk even more.

A few minutes later, the couple was sitting at the lovingly set dining table, enjoying the fabulous dinner Lindsay had cooked for them. It was another talent of her and Danny was sure; if she wasn't already a good CSI, she would be a great cook as well.

"That was fantastic," he said after he had finished, satisfied leaning back in his chair, watching her.

"I'm glad to hear that," Lindsay answered. She stood up to carry the dirty dishes into the kitchen, but before she could take one of the plates, Danny grabbed her arm and with one quick motion pulled her over to him and into his lap.

"May I ask you something?" he asked, ignoring the surprised look she gave him. Without waiting for an answer, he added, "It wasn't Stella's and Don's idea to take Jesse, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lindsay replied, closing her eyes when she felt his lips brushing over her neck.

"What are you wearing this coat for?" he whispered against her sensitive skin, causing her to shudder.

"I was just…freezing," she managed to say, biting her lips to stay quiet. One of his hands moved under her coat. She could feel him smirk when his fingers brushed over the silky fabric and bare skin beneath it.

"Oh, now I understand why you were freezing," he answered, his voice still so low she could barely hear him.

Lindsay opened her mouth to respond, but before she could come up with another excuse, Danny turned her around quickly so she was facing him.

"Anything you want to tell me?" he asked. But the expression in his eyes, fiery and full of passion, made it impossible for her to even think about speaking. All she could come up with was a sigh and a light moan the moment his lips got in contact with the soft skin of her collarbone, sending shiver through her entire body. His skilled fingers unbuttoned the coat and pushed it down her arms, leaving her uncovered in only a silky lace bra and matching, black panties.

Feeling his lips travelling down the front of her body, Lindsay had to grab the edge of the table behind her. She was slowly losing every bit of self control, but this was not the way she had planned this evening. With the last bit of strength she grabbed his face and pulled him into a burning kiss. Then she stood up from her sitting position, smiling down at him.

"There's no need to hurry, cowboy," she said, drawing her hand through his messy hair. "We have all night. But there's already something else waiting for you and it's getting cold if we wait any longer."

Needing a moment to regain the ability of thinking straight again, Danny looked at her in confusion, causing her to laugh lightly. Without saying a word, she took his hand, pulled him up from his chair and up the stairs. She leaded him over to the bathroom. The moment she opened the door, he knew what she was talking about.

The whole room was decorated with candles, a delicious, almost arousing aroma in the air. The bathtub was filled, with lather on the surface. Danny smiled at the realisation of what she had planned for them. Once he had told her that he always wanted to have a long, hot bath with her. But in his old apartment he had only had a shower. And here they hadn't had time for a shared bath yet. Until now.

"Get into the water, or it's getting cold again," Lindsay whispered into his ear. Danny didn't need more to hear.

In almost record time he removed his clothes and entered the bathtub, shuddering at the hot water on his soft skin. Sitting comfortable, he looked up at his girlfriend.

"It's really sad you have to take this off now," he said, letting his eyes roam over her perfectly formed body.

"Doesn't mean I can't put it on again later," she replied. "And undressing can be nice as well."

And again Danny had to agree with her. Because the way Lindsay started to undress herself was definitely worth watching. And had another nice effect on him, too. So it was no surprise that when she had barely entered the bathtub completely, he already grabbed her around her waist and pulled her down to him.

"What a wonderful surprise," he whispered into her ear, letting his fingers trace over her wet, warm skin.

"I knew you'd like it," she replied.

And with that Lindsay finally allowed Danny to do what he had wanted to do earlier. Coming home was always wonderful for him. Being greeted in an unexpected way like this was even better.


	17. Phone call to Montana

**A/N: I decided to go on with this story for a while. There'll be DL centric chapters, with and without Jesse, Fiesta chapters and Jesse centric chapters. There'll be loads and loads of fluff and fun. I'm not sure there'll be angst as well, at the moment I'm not planning on doing that. And there might be a few little surprises. ;)**

Nervously Lindsay was staring at the phone in front of her. She was doing this for around ten minutes now and wasn't still able to take it into her hand to make the phone call she was supposed to.

Usually Lindsay never had problems with difficult situations. But this one was different. She had to call her mother and right now she didn't even know how to start the conversation. She and her mother hadn't talked for a while now. Lindsay had called a few days after she had arrived in New York and briefly at Christmas and New Year two weeks ago. So neither her mother nor her father knew about all the changes in her life. And Lindsay didn't have a clue of how to explain that to them.

Talking about some topics to her parents had always been difficult. Yes, Danny was not the only one who had a complicated relationship with his family. When Lindsay had decided to go to New York, to make one of her biggest dreams come true, her parents hadn't been happy about that. 'Hadn't been happy' didn't even come close to the way they had reacted; Lindsay was surprised that they hadn't just logged her in her old child's room to prevent her from going. They had other plans with their daughter. But those plans had never been Lindsay's.

So she had left, to head to New York, against the wish of her family. No surprise the phone calls were short and pretty cool. But although Lindsay had no real problem with that, she couldn't help the thought that she had to clarify something. She couldn't just conceal that she had another family now. Her own family. She had to tell them about it. But she knew this wouldn't be easy, because she could be pretty sure that neither of her parents would be thrilled about the fact that she was together with a man who had a son whose mother she was now and that they had bought a house after only a month. But Lindsay would defend her decisions. Like always.

After sighing deeply, taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Lindsay finally took the phone and dialled. Then she listened to the dial tone, her heart racing.

"Monroe," the voice of her mother answered.

"Hey Mom, it's me. Lindsay," Lindsay answered, hoping her voice wouldn't reveal how nervous she was.

"Oh, Lindsay. Nice you're calling. Is everything okay? You're sounding a little weird."

Lindsay rolled her eyes. What else had she expected? Mothers could read minds. Even she could already read Jesse's.

"I'm alright, Mom. What about you? And Dad?"

"Everything's great, like always," Mrs Monroe answered. "So why are you calling?"

"Uh…just for talking. Do I need a reason to call my mother?"

"No, but according to the tone in your voice, you have a reason. So what is it?"

Lindsay sighed again. Yes, she couldn't avoid it. Her mother knew something was going on; somehow she could feel it. Now it was her job to say what it was.

"Last time we didn't really talk much. But…there are a few things I have to tell you," she started.

"Oh, yeah? What is it? Are you pregnant or something?" her mother interrupted her, coming straight to the point, like always.

"No, Mom. But, well…it's a little complicated…"

"I have a lot of time. Now talk, please."

Taking another deep breath, Lindsay started, "Alright. I know, maybe I should have called earlier. But the last weeks and months have been pretty stressful for me, so please don't be mad. A lot has changed in those weeks. I have a boyfriend, Danny, a wonderful man. He has a son; he adopted the boy because his parents had been killed. I spent a lot of time together with the two, and the boy, Jesse, started to see me as his mother. Actually I am his mother now. And because we thought it's easier for the three of us, Danny and I decided to move in together. And because his apartment wasn't really big enough for us, we bought a house. So yeah, that's what I wanted you to know and should have told you earlier. But I couldn't. I'm sorry."

Without stopping for a second, Lindsay had told the short version of what had happened after her arrival in New York. She didn't know if her mother had understood everything, or anything, which wouldn't be a surprise because of the tempo in which she had spoken. Nervously she waited for a reaction from the other end of the phone.

"So let me sum that up," her mother said after a minute of silence. "You're together with a man who has a son and whose mother you are now and you already bought a house? Lindsay, do you know how long you're living in New York now?"

Lindsay sighed lightly. "Yes, Mom. I know all this happened in a very short time…"

"Oh yeah, definitely…"

"But who cares?" Lindsay interrupted her. "Who cares how much time passed? Some couples are together for years or decades and never reach this point. We're together and we're happy. It was no spontaneous decision. And I love Jesse. He's like my own son. And for him I'm his Mom. So please, don't start telling me I didn't think about my decisions, because I did and I'm happy with them and I…"

"Lindsay?" the other woman interrupted her.

"Yeah?"

"Calm down, Lindsay."

"But…"

"No 'but'. I never said it was wrong what you did. I was just surprised. Usually you need ages to even go out with a man."

Lindsay couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Thank you, Mom, I know. But this time it's really different."

"Yes, I got that. And it's okay to me. Maybe I wouldn't have started a relationship and become a mother of the man's child that quickly, but obviously it's the right thing for you. May I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you love him? Your boyfriend?"

A broad smile lit Lindsay's face when she answered, "Yes, I do. More than anyone else before. Even after such a short time. But I think when someone is meant for you…"

"…then you don't need ages to be together to know it's right. I know, Lindsay."

"So you…think it's okay?" Lindsay asked, totally surprised by her mother's reaction. "You don't want to tell me I should have waited longer?"

Now she could hear her mother chuckle at the other end of the phone. "No, Lindsay. Why do you ask? Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yeah. Because when I decided to go to New York, you both were pretty pissed about that."

"Let's say, we were afraid," Mrs. Monroe explained. "I never thought it was wrong and your father didn't either. We always knew how much you wanted to go to New York. But we were afraid you'd regret it in the end. Maybe we should have shown you that in another way than yelling at you. But obviously you don't regret moving. And…well, I don't know your boyfriend and the boy yet, but I can't help the feeling that you won't regret this either."

"You're so right with that," Lindsay agreed, still not able to believe that her mother had the same opinion.

"But I have another question," the woman suddenly said.

"What is it?"

"You said your boyfriend, Danny was his name, right? You said he adopted the boy. But what about you? When he sees you as his mother, will you adopt him as well?"

"Uh…well, to be honest, I haven't thought about that yet," Lindsay admitted.

"Then you should. Because then you're officially his mother. I'm sure this is a good thing. At least think about it."

And this was what Lindsay did. She and her mother continued talking for another hour until she hung up again. But her mother's words were still present in her mind. She had really never thought about adopting Jesse yet. But actually it was the next logical step to make.

Even two hours later, when Danny, who had been at the playground with Jesse, came back home, she was still thinking about this topic.

"Hey baby, how was the phone call?" he asked, joining her on the couch and kissing her.

"Oh, it was really good," Lindsay answered. "She even agreed with me. Obviously she also thinks I made a great decision."

"Hey, that's perfect," Danny replied. "Then it won't be a problem to visit them when we'll go to Montana in summer.

"No, it won't," she agreed. Danny and Lindsay had decided to go to Montana with Jesse in summer, like they had promised. But before that she had wanted to clarify if her parents had a problem with her decision or not. They didn't have a problem, so everything would be alright. But now there was something else she had to think about. About adopting Jesse.


	18. Adopting Jesse?

Lindsay was spread over hers and Danny's huge bed, viewing the Montana book they had given to Jesse on Christmas. As much as she loved living in New York, sometimes she missed the quiet and the nature. So viewing a book like this was a nice reminder of her old home.

But actually Lindsay wasn't really paying attention to the book. Her thoughts had already drifted away after turning the first page. Since she and her mother had talked a few hours ago, there was a question spinning in her mind all the time. Should she adopt Jesse as well?

Deep in her thoughts, Lindsay didn't hear Danny entering the bedroom as well. It was late and he had just checked if Jesse was asleep. Luckily the boy was deep asleep; not even a fire alert would be able to wake him up now. Good for them. But the moment Danny laid eyes on his girlfriend, he noticed that she was thinking about something again. He already knew this expression on her face and the little, hardly visible folds on her forehead.

"Hey, master of worrying," he greeted her, joining her on the bed. "You alright, sweetie?"

Interrupted in her thoughts, just coming back to reality, Lindsay raised her eyebrows at her boyfriend. "Master of what?"

"Master of worrying," he repeated, grinning at her.

"I'm not worrying," she contradicted, turning her attention back to the book.

"You are. You always are," he answered, moving closer until he was almost lying on top of her back. He placed a gentle kiss right below her ear, knowing this never failed to get her attention.

"Danny, please, I'm reading," she replied. Danny peeked over her shoulder, raising his eyebrows at her.

"And what? Sorry, Montana, but if you pretend you're reading, you should choose a page with text on it." With that he closed the book and set it aside. Lindsay sighed, moving to get up from the bed, but he was faster. Quickly he turned her around so she was lying on her back, lying down on top of her to keep her in place.

"Talk," he said.

"About what?" she asked back, trying to move away but wasn't able to.

"About what? Maybe about what you're thinking about all the time."

"Danny, I was just viewing the book, alright? That's why I didn't notice you coming in."

Danny nodded. "Yeah, okay. I don't really believe that, but alright. May I ask you something?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure."

"Are you feeling homesick?" he wanted to know. With a bit of concern in his eyes, he looked her straight into hers, like he tried to find any evidence for his suspicion in them.

"Why do you think I'm homesick?" Lindsay asked back surprised.

"I don't know. Since you talked to your mother, you're acting strange. You're unusually quiet and all the time it seems like you're thinking about something. Or worrying. What else am I supposed to think? And it wouldn't surprise me. All the time before you had a lot of stress. You didn't have any time to feel homesick. But now, especially after Christmas and New Year…who knows, maybe it changed," Danny explained. "So am I right?"

Lindsay shook her head. "No, I'm not homesick." When she saw the disbelieving look he gave her, she added, "Really. I'm not homesick at all. Of course it was different to celebrate Christmas here. But I have you and Jesse, and our friends. Calling my mother was nice and of course it made me think of my old home. But I'm not missing it. My new home is here, in New York."

She hoped that this answer would please him. Lindsay was not the only one who easily worried; Danny did the same, especially when it came to her or his son. She hoped he'd stop questioning her now, but she should have known him better.

"Then what else is bothering you?" he wanted to know, looking even more concerned down at her.

"Nothing is bothering me," she answered, breaking the eye contact to him. She knew she was a bad liar and he knew what she was thinking anyway.

"Nice try. So what is it?" he asked again.

"Nothing is bothering me," she repeated, sighing. "I was just thinking about something."

"And about what?"

"Danny, is that an interrogation here or something? Can't you leave the detective at work?" she teased, trying to smile. But it didn't work.

"No, I can't, sorry. So what is it? What were you thinking about?"

Lindsay hesitated for a moment, trying to find another excuse. But if she was honest to herself, she knew no excuse she'd come up with would work and actually she didn't want to lie either.

"Why did you decide to adopt Jesse?" she finally asked.

"Why do you ask? I told you," Danny replied surprised.

"Yeah, you told me why you took care of him. But…actually you never told me why you decided to adopt him. I mean, it's a huge step. You could have just left it the way it was. Nobody would have tried to take him away from you, because he doesn't have any other relatives."

"I know. But there's a difference between adopting and fostering a child," he answered. "And I'm not talking about different rights and stuff. Although this is important as well. But apart from that…it's just something else. He's officially my son now. They can't just take him away again without my permission. I have the right to take care of him and to decide for him. I'm officially his parent now. Maybe I'm not his biological father. But this doesn't matter. He's my son now, I'm his father and nobody can say or do anything against it. We're an officially family so to speak."

"Okay. That makes sense," Lindsay answered thoughtfully. She had already expected an answer like this. For Jesse, Danny was his father. He wasn't just a person who took care of him, like an uncle or aunt, grandparents or any other person could do as well. It was something different, that was for sure.

"Why did you want to know that?" Danny asked into the silence, still looking at her.

"Oh, just because…I don't know," she answered.

"You never ask something 'because you don't know'," he replied. "And why did you think about that all day? You could have immediately asked me." When she didn't respond to that, he watched her for a few moments and Lindsay could almost see the thoughts running through his mind. She just opened her mouth to answer when the realisation hit him. "What did your mother tell you?"

Lindsay, caught in the act and knowing he already had a suspicion, blushed. Contradicting or excusing wouldn't work and so she decided to be honest. "She asked me if I'm going to adopt Jesse as well."

Danny nodded. "This was what I expected. And? What did you say?"

"I said I never thought about that before."

"But today you did, right? And you wanted to know what I was thinking when I did it?"

Lindsay nodded, blushing even more. Had she really thought he'd not find out what was going on?

"Could you imagine yourself adopting him?" Danny finally asked the question Lindsay was fighting with for hours now. But despite her expectation, the answer immediately came.

"Yes," she said before she even noticed what she was answering. "I mean…"

"No, no, don't take it back," Danny interrupted her. He smiled at her. "I know, it's a big decision. I needed a while to make sure I really wanted that as well. But you could think about the pros and cons for ages. In the end your heart has to decide. Because your heart is the one that tells you if you can see the child as your own child." He paused for a moment before he asked, "What is your heart telling you?"

Lindsay didn't have to think about that for a minute. "For me he is my son since he started calling me 'Mommy'," she answered honestly.

"That means?" Danny asked, although he already knew Lindsay's answer.

"That means I want to do it. I want to adopt Jesse," she said, smiling at him.

Actually this decision had been easy for her. Like she had said, Jesse was already her son. The next thing to do would be arranging everything so she could sign the certification of adoption. And she knew she wouldn't hesitate a second to do that.


	19. Good morning

1It was early in the morning. Everything was quiet. Danny was awake for almost half an hour now and somehow couldn't go back to sleep again. This didn't happen often, usually he even loved to sleep in. But today he was already fully awake.

Another time he closed his eyes, but it was unnecessary. Sighing lightly he looked over to Lindsay. She was still deep asleep, tightly wrapped into her blanket, like always. Whenever he saw her asleep he couldn't help but think how incredibly adorable she looked like. She was a cutie anyway, but when she slept she looked like a young girl; sweet and innocent. Danny could spend hours with simply looking at her.

Smiling lightly, he sat up. The day before she had had a long and pretty exhausting shift. She had been so tired she had even fallen asleep on the couch right after dinner, even before Jesse had gone to bed. She deserved her sleep and he didn't want to wake her up. And so he got up, as quiet as possible, and left the bedroom.

Instinctively he headed over to the child's room to have a look at what his son was doing. Opening the door quietly, a warm smile lit his face at the sight in front of him. The little boy was lying in his bed, in his usual 'Jesse-position'; arms and half of his upper body were hanging out of it, while the blanket and pillow were lying on the floor.

Slowly Danny walked over to him and as careful as possible put him back into his bed, resting him on his pillow and covering him with his blanket again. Jesse mumbled something in his sleep but didn't wake up.

Danny watched him for a moment, all the time smiling. Jesse had changed a lot since he had decided to take care of the little boy years ago. After being quiet and afraid at the beginning, he was very open now. He had fully accepted him as his father. And Lindsay as his mother.

Thinking about the last weeks, Danny couldn't deny that since the little boy knew her, he had changed even more. Since the night Lindsay had been his babysitter, he hadn't had any nightmares anymore; a very good sign. He was still surprised by how quickly the boy had accepted her, had even started to love her. He had never expected her to have such a good influence on him.

After a couple of minutes, Danny got up from his son's bed again and left the room. Unsure about what to do while everyone in the house was asleep, he decided to head downstairs. Coffee wouldn't surely help him to get back to sleep, but maybe a glass of milk would. It had helped him when he was a kid and it still helped Jesse, although Danny didn't really understand why.

Walking down the stairs and entering the still half dark living room, Danny couldn't deny that it was a strange feeling. He was used to someone talking or running around. He couldn't remember when it had been quiet in this house for the last time. If Jesse wasn't awake and running around, Lindsay was there to talk to him, or they had guests; mainly Stella and Flack, who even had their own keys to their house. They had become a part of their family long time ago.

So it was no surprise when Danny arrived at home and although Lindsay and Jesse weren't there, he was greeted by Flack sitting in front of his TV or Stella, sitting on the couch, reading a magazine. Yes, they had already become a big family, and Danny had to admit that he wasn't just used to it, he also loved it and couldn't imagine this'd ever change.

On his way to the kitchen, Danny stopped a the small cupboard next to the stairs. Like he had done so often during the last days and weeks, he opened the top drawer and took a file out of it. A certification, signed by him and Lindsay. A certification of adoption.

According to this paper, now both, Danny and Lindsay, were officially Jesse's parents. For the little boy this certification didn't really matter yet; for him Lindsay was his mother for a much longer time now. For them it did matter.

When Lindsay had brought the topic 'adoption' up, he had been slightly unsure if this was really what she wanted. He could clearly remember how he had felt when he had adopted Jesse years ago. For him it had always been clear he'd be the one who'd take care of the little boy. There was no way he'd give him away again. But making this step had been difficult anyway. He had never regretted it, but he also didn't want that Lindsay thought she had to do that.

But his worries had been unnecessary. She had been determined to adopt the little boy and she had done it. She hadn't hesitated a single moment before signing the certification, turning them into a real family.

Still smiling, Danny put the paper carefully back into the drawer before he headed into the kitchen. He had just entered the room when he heard noises coming from the stairs. A moment later the kitchen door was opened once again. Danny didn't even have to turn around to see who had joined him.

"Good morning, Montana," he greeted his girlfriend.

"Good morning," a very sleepy Lindsay replied.

Danny felt how she approached him, closing her arms around him from behind, snuggling against him.

"I hope I didn't wake you up," he said, turning around in her tight embrace. Now snuggling against his chest, she shook her head.

"I only woke up when you were already gone," she said quietly, looking up at him. "I missed you, Danny. It was so cold in bed."

Danny chuckled, placing a gentle kiss onto her forehead. "It was cold? How could you be freezing while you were wrapped into your blanket like into a cocoon?"

"Why? Because my boyfriend was missing," she answered simply. "Why didn't you wake me up when you couldn't fall asleep again?"

"Because you looked too cute while you were sleeping," he answered, causing her to raise her eyebrows at him.

"Does that mean you watched me again?" she asked.

"As if you wouldn't do the same," he teased back.

She didn't respond to that, only cuddled even tighter against him. They stood like this for several minutes, neither of them moving or even thinking about breaking this almost magical moment between them. They didn't really have to do anything to create a warm, intimate moment between them; simply holding each other was already enough.

"Did I ever tell you how happy I am?" Lindsay suddenly broke the silence.

"I think you did," Danny replied, running his hand gently through her messy curls.

"Good. Because I think I've never been so happy in my life before. Us, our family, our life together, all this; I would have never thought this'd ever happen. A long time I was searching for something like that. I was close to giving up when I came here. But, like always when you want to give up, suddenly a surprise happens and so I met you. And everything changed. Everything turned into what I always wanted to have and never really dared to ask for."

Danny needed a brief moment before he could respond to this intense little speech. "Wow," he said. "This almost sounded like a wedding vow."

Lindsay chuckled. "Yeah, it really did. Maybe you should ask me to marry you."

"Yeah, maybe I should," he replied.

"But first we'll go back upstairs. It's weekend, so no need to get up earlier than our son."

With that Lindsay grabbed his hand and pulled him with her out of he kitchen. Danny followed her willingly, but his thoughts were already drifting away. A wedding vow. Maybe he should ask her to marry him. Surprised he wondered why he hadn't thought about this topic yet.

**A/N: I know, this was more of a filler chapter. But I needed something between two storylines. I hope you liked it anyway. :)**


	20. About dinosaurs and proposals

It was around midday on a warm day in spring. Danny and Flack had just left the car and were now leaning against its side, waiting for Jesse to finish school. While Danny was deep in his thoughts, like most of the time during the last days, Flack looked slightly uncomfortable. Once again two women, possibly mothers, had passed them, smirking at them.

"What do you think how we're looking like?" he asked after another few minutes.

"What do you mean?" Danny asked back, not really understanding what his friend was talking about.

"I mean, do you think we're looking like...you know."

"What? Like single persons?"

Flack shook his head. "Well yeah, maybe, but I was more thinking about looking like...well, a couple or something?"

For a brief moment Danny could only stare at his friend. Then he started to laugh.

"Oh, I don't know," he replied, playfully resting his hand on Flack's arm. "If you want..."

Flack instantly backed away, glaring at his friend. "Watch it, Messer. That's not funny."

But this, combined with the expression on his face, just caused Danny to laugh even more.

"Sorry, Don, I couldn't help it," he answered between laughter. "I mean, I wonder how you came up with such an idea."

Now blushing, Flack shrugged. "I have no idea. It's all because of those women and their weird looks."

"Maybe they thought how hot you are," Danny continued teasing.

Flack rolled his eyes. "Okay, do me a favour. Don't use the word 'hot' while you're talking about me, alright?"

"Alright," Danny promised, fighting back new laughter. He turned his attention back to the entrance of the school, just in time to see Jesse leaving it. The moment he spotted the two men, a huge smile lit his face.

"Daddy! Uncle Don!" he shouted, rushing over to them as quick as possible.

"Hey buddy," Danny greeted him. The little boy jumped into his opened arms before he hugged Flack as well.

"Are Mommy and Stella at work?" he wanted to know.

"Yes, they are," Danny answered, amused by his son's question. The boy was already used to Stella and Flack being at their house like they were living there as well. Danny wondered when the two of them would ask to move in with them.

"Daddy?" Jesse asked after entering the car a moment later, a warning tone in his voice. "Daddy, where are my dinosaurs?"

"Your dinosaurs?" Danny asked back.

"Yes! My dinosaurs. Where are they?" Jesse repeated, sounding lightly upset. "This morning I left them here, on my seat. And now they are gone!"

"Dinosaurs?" Flack asked. "Did I miss something? Since when do dinosaurs live in this car?"

Jesse groaned. "No real dinosaurs. They're toys. Now where are they?"

"They're at home, Jesse," Danny finally answered.

"At home? Why?" Jesse asked disappointed.

"Because I wanted them to be safe at home. Imagine someone would broke into the car and steal them," Danny answered, quickly coming up with an excuse.

"Okay, that was a good idea," the boy answered, causing Flack to chuckle.

"Yeah, Dan, be glad he forgives you this time," he teased, earning a glare from his friend.

On their way back home, Jesse was very quiet again. Usually this always surprised Danny, making him wonder what the boy was doing at school that exhausted him so much. But this time he was glad for that. As much as he tried to, he had problems with focussing. There was something spinning in his mind. Something he needed to get out but didn't know how to do that yet.

Deep in his thoughts, he didn't even notice how Flack was watching him almost all the way home, already planning on making his friend talk, to get rid of what was bothering him for days now.

At home, Jesse couldn't get fast enough into the house. He wanted to have a look at his dinosaurs to check if the toys were alright.

"So he's in his dinosaurs phase now?" Flack asked amused while sitting down onto the couch.

"Yes. I was already waiting for that to happen," Danny answered, returning from the kitchen with something to drink for them. "Now he can't get enough of dinosaur movies, books and toys."

"Then I already know what to give to him on his birthday," Flack said. Danny only nodded, joining his friend on the couch. The two men remained silent for a bit. Although he knew his best friend needed ages to open up and talk about what was going on in his mind, Flack wanted to give him the chance to start talking on his own. But when neither of them had said a single word for minutes, he decided to break the silence.

"Okay, so what's wrong with you?" he asked, coming straight to the point.

"What?" Danny asked, looking at him like he was talking about the most weird thing he had ever heard. "What should be wrong with me? Nothing."

"And why are you so silent all the time? Why aren't you talking and seem to be far away with your thoughts all the time?" Flack asked back.

"Because I'm a guy and guys usually don't talk all the time. Actually you should know me better."

"I do," Flack replied, sighing. Why did this man have to be so damn stubborn? "I know you like my brother. That's why I can feel when you're thinking or worrying about something."

Danny rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "You're sounding like Lindsay. The two of you are mind readers, huh?"

"Obviously. So what's your problem? Or do you want me to continue to ask?"

Danny looked at his best friend for a moment, thinking about whether he should answer or should come up with some excuse. But this was Flack, not Jesse, and like with Lindsay excuses didn't work.

"There's nothing wrong, really," he answered. "I'm just...thinking about something."

"Yeah, I got that," Flack replied. "But what is it? You know, you can talk to me about everything, right?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah, yeah, of course. It's just...actually it's a good idea, but I'm unsure anyway."

"Let me guess. It has to do with Lindsay?"

"How did you know?"

Flack laughed. "How did I know? Danny, either you're talking about Jesse, about sports or about Lindsay. And I think the latter fits the best to your behaviour."

"You're creepy," Danny replied, shaking his head.

"Maybe. Okay, now talk."

Danny sighed again, took a deep breath and then started, "Well, it all started with something Lindsay said. About us. I said the way she said it sounded like a wedding vow and she answered that maybe I should ask her to marry her. I think she was just joking, but..."

"...maybe she didn't. And it made you think that maybe this wouldn't be a bad idea. Am I right?" Flack wanted to know.

Danny looked at him with huge eyes. "You are creepy, Don, really. You should use this gift for solving crimes."

"Maybe I will. But only when you answer my question. Are you thinking about proposing?"

"Yeah. Yeah, that's it," Danny finally answered. "And I can't stop thinking about it since she said that. I mean, maybe it's stupid. But..."

"Why should it be stupid?" Flack interrupted him. "You love her, don't you?"

"Yes."

"And the two of you have a little family together, right? You adopted a child together and bought a house?"

"Yes."

"So don't you think the next step would be marrying?" Flack wanted to know.

Danny stared at him for a moment, thinking about what his best friend had told him. He couldn't deny he was right with everything he had said. There was no reason why he shouldn't propose.

"But...what if it's too early? Okay, we're together for several months now, but...maybe it's too early anyway. What if she says 'no'?" he asked.

"Do you seriously think she'd say 'no'?"

"No idea..."

"No idea? Danny, she moved in with you, she adopted Jesse. Why shouldn't she want to marry you? This woman loves you more than anyone else. There's no way she could say 'no'. And don't contradict, I'm a mind reader."

Danny hesitated for a moment. Then he smiled, shaking his head. "I swear, if you're wrong with that you'll get into serious problems."

"Don't worry about that," Flack answered, smiling. "And I promise I'll help you with arranging everything for the proposal."

"Oh, can I help as well?" another voice suddenly interrupted them. Surprised and shocked, both men turned around, seeing Jesse sitting on the stairs.

"How long are you sitting there?" Danny wanted to know. "What did you hear us say?"

"That you want to marry Mommy," Jesse answered, grinning.

Danny and Flack shared a short glance. Great. Usually a proposal was supposed to be a surprise. But what if Jesse couldn't keep it a secret?

"Come over, buddy," Flack said then. Jesse came over to them quickly, joining them on the couch. "You can help us. But only when you promise something. Will you do that?"

When Jesse nodded, he continued, "Promise that you won't talk to Mommy or Auntie Stella about that, okay? Nobody is allowed to know that Daddy wants to marry her, except him, you and me. Did you understand that?"

Again Jesse nodded. "But if they marry I don't want to have a basket with flowers, okay?" At the thought of this, a disgusted expression went onto his face.

"I think that's okay," this time Danny answered. "So you won't go to Mommy or Auntie Stella and tell them about the marriage?"

"Yep. I won't tell anyone. I'll only talk to you and Uncle Don," Jesse promised.

"Perfect," Danny replied satisfied. He knew that when the little boy promised something, he could count on it, although he was still so young.

The proof for that he got when Lindsay and Stella arrived at home in the evening. Danny had noticed how excited the boy had been all the time. But when his mother asked him about what he had done all day, he left the part with the wedding-talk. Now all he had to do was staying quiet himself and arranging everything for the proposal; something that was supposed to be just perfect for the woman he loved so much.


	21. Breakfast

1Danny was standing in the kitchen, making breakfast. It was weekend and he wanted to surprise his going-to-be-fiancee with breakfast in bed. He tried to be as quiet as possible to not wake Lindsay up. What was almost impossible, because she always noticed when he got up.

And so he almost jumped when he heard steps on the stairs, approaching the kitchen. But before he could hide what he was doing, Jesse entered the room, causing Danny to sigh in relief. His surprise hadn't been uncovered yet.

"Hey buddy, what are you doing down here?" Danny asked the little boy, who was looking at what his father was doing curiously.

"One of my dinosaurs is missing," Jesse complained. "The big one, the T-Rex. He's gone." With a pout he sat down at the kitchen table.

"Oh, he's not gone, Jess," Danny answered. "Uncle Don took him."

"What? Why?" Jesse looked at his father with huge eyes. "Does he like dinosaurs as well?"

"Obviously," Danny replied, trying to hide his grin. He couldn't really explain to his son that Flack had taken the toy to scare Stella with it. This time even he couldn't deny that this was a bit childish. Luckily nobody knew he was planning on doing the same with Lindsay. For one thing this toys had to be good.

"What are you doing, Daddy?" Jesse asked after a few moments of silence.

"I'm making breakfast for Mommy," Danny answered. "To surprise her."

"Oh, you're going to ask her to marry her now?" Jesse asked excited, almost falling down the chair at the attempt of getting down from it.

"Be careful, okay? How often do I need to tell you to not stand on chairs?" Danny asked back. "And no, I'm not asking her now. And please, when you talk about that, what did I tell you to do?"

"Whisper."

"But you didn't whisper, right?"

"No," Jesse answered. "Next time. Can I go upstairs and play with the dinosaurs Uncle Don didn't steal?"

Danny chuckled. "Yes, you can. And be quiet. Don't wake Mommy up."

Jesse only nodded before he rushed upstairs again. Danny finished breakfast, which included Lindsay's beloved pancakes, orange juice and fruits. Carefully and as quiet at possible, he walked upstairs. Like always he threw a short glance into the direction of his son's room.

Seeing it was wide opened and his son was sitting on the floor, playing with two dinosaurs fighting with each other, he walked over to the room. Balancing the plate he was carrying, he managed to close the door without Jesse noticing it. Danny knew this wouldn't prevent his son from running out of it anyway, but he wanted a tiny bit of privacy for him and Lindsay.

Still fighting with the plate, Danny pushed against the door handle with his elbow to open the bedroom door. He winced at the sound the door was making. Usually this damn thing never made a noise, so why now? Carefully, inch by inch, he opened it, making sure to be as quiet as possible. The warm light coming through the curtains in front of the bedroom window had coloured the entire room in a beautiful, reddish tone. For a brief moment Danny stopped in the door way, ignoring how heavy the plate was, simply watching his girlfriend in their bed.

_All mine_, he thought, a smile on his face. And, like so many times before, a strong warmth spread through his entire body, starting right at where his heart was. Danny had needed long to find out how this sensation was called. Love. He had never imagined how addictive it could be.

Carefully he sat the plate down on his night stand and knelt down on the bed. Lindsay was lying on her stomach, right in the middle of the huge bed. Gently he brushed a few curls out of her face, smiling warmly at the peaceful expression on her beautiful face. And once again he got lost in watching her.

"I love you. You know that?" he whispered, running his fingers gently over her cheek. "I love you so much, I can't even find words for it."

"I love you, too," she mumbled, causing him to jump backwards slightly.

"You're awake?" he asked, although the question was unnecessary.

Lindsay nodded lightly, smiling without opening her eyes. "I wouldn't call me awake, but I'm not asleep either."

"Did I ever tell you how adorable you are?" Danny wanted to know, lying down next to his girlfriend. Blinking a few times, she opened her eyes, looking straight into his. She looked still kind of sleepy, but there was already this warm, loving expression in her eyes; the expression he loved so much since he had seen her for the very first time. They remained looking for a while, enjoying the strong connection between them.

"I made you breakfast," he whispered then. "Are you hungry?"

Lindsay smirked at him. "Do you really have to ask?"

Chuckling, Danny placed a gentle kiss onto her forehead before he turned around and grabbed the plate. The moment it got into Lindsay's eyesight, a huge smile lit her face.

"Oh, pancakes and orange juice! And even fruits!" she exclaimed. "Danny, you are definitely make the best breakfast ever." With a slight smirk, she added, "And you're one of the most romantic men I ever met."

"Yeah, yeah, okay," he replied, turning away to hide how he was blushing. He watched her enjoying her breakfast for a moment before he asked, "Any plans for what we're going to do today?"

Lindsay shrugged. "I'm not sure. It's weekend and because we're both here and don't have to work, we should do something with Jesse. Oh, we could go to the museum."

"To the museum?" Danny asked, not looking amused about this idea. "Why? I don't see him liking that."

Lindsay chuckled, shaking her head at him. "I rather think you're the one who wouldn't like to go there. Jesse will love to see all the dinosaur skeletons."

"Oh, yeah. What else," he replied, groaning. "The two of you will have a wonderful day."

"All of us will have a wonderful day," Lindsay answered, winking at him. Carefully setting the plate away, she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him over to her. Before he could react, she kissed him deeply, instantly taking his breath away.

"If you wanted to convince me with kissing me," he managed to say between kisses. "It worked."

Lindsay smirked against his lips. "I don't need to convince you. You do what I want anyway."

Sighing lightly, Danny gave in to the sudden passion of his beloved girlfriend. Yes, she was right. She only needed to look at him to make him do everything she wanted. How would that be when the two of them were married? But he didn't care if she'd always be the one who got her will. As long as he could be together with her, he was happy. And the thought of marrying the woman of his dreams soon, or at least proposing to her, was making him feel incredibly excited.

Quickly they got lost in the intensity of their kiss. But it didn't last long. A quiet knocking at the door interrupted them.

"Come in," Lindsay said, giving Danny another quick kiss.

The door was opened and a shy and worried looking Jesse entered the room. He stopped near the door, watching his parents.

"What can we do for you?" this time Danny asked.

"Freddie lost his head," he said quietly.

"Freddie?" Lindsay asked confused.

"One of his dinosaurs," Danny replied quickly before he turned to his son. "He lost his head you said?"

Jesse nodded sadly, showing them the toy animal with the long neck but without a head.

"How did that happen?"

"He and Frank crashed together a little too hard," the little boy answered, blushing. It happened rarely that he destroyed his own toys.

"And where is the head now?" Danny wanted to know.

"No idea. When they crashed into each other, it flew somewhere behind the bed."

"Hopefully this never happened to the real dinosaurs," Lindsay whispered behind Danny.

"That's not funny, Montana," he replied, biting his tongue to not laugh. Some situations with Jesse were just hilarious.

"Can you help me?" the little boy asked hopefully.

"Of course," Danny answered, with a sigh getting up from his comfortable position in bed. "Let's see if we find Freddie's head."

Together they headed into the child's room. They didn't need long to find the head of the toy animal behind the bed. A huge smile lit Jesse's face when Danny came up from below the bed, presenting the item.

"Can you fix it?" he asked.

"Yeah. I think glue should work," Danny answered.

"Oh please, can you do it now?"

"Sure," Lindsay said to them, smiling presenting the glue she had already taken from the kitchen.

"Great!" Jesse exclaimed, rushing over to his mother. Danny and Lindsay shared an amused smile before they started to fix their son's toy. With him it never got boring. Unfortunately Danny's romantic breakfast had been interrupted by him, but it didn't matter.

Soon they'd share another, even more romantic moment. The moment when he would finally be ready to propose to his great love. He and Flack were already busy with preparing everything for the perfect moment. It was just a question of time until he'd ask this important question. And the longer he thought about it, the surer he became she'd say 'yes'.

--

Meanwhile Flack had just woken up. Still very sleepy he entered the bathroom. He walked over to the small closet near the shower and opened it.

"Oh my god!" he screamed, jumping backwards, his heart racing.

Trying to calm himself down again, he heard laughter coming from the bathroom door. He turned around, seeing a laughing Stella leaning in the doorway.

"Very funny, Stella," he said, causing her to laugh even more.

"Hey, who would have thought a simple toy dinosaur would scare the hell out of you? And...am I right that you planned exactly the same for me?"

Flack only shook his head, slamming the door of the closet shut. "I only say one word. Revenge."

With that he left the bathroom again, already wondering if Jesse had more scary toys he could borrow from him.


	22. The surprise, part 1

**A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing! And thanks to laurzz.**

"Mommy, can't we drive a bit faster?" Jesse asked, now already for the fifth time, shifting in his seat.

"Why do we have to hurry so much, sweetie?" Lindsay asked back. She knew Jesse couldn't get home fast enough after work, but usually he wasn't that impatient.

"Because...it's a surprise. I can't tell you," the little boy replied.

"You can't tell me? Does this surprise have to do with Daddy again? He didn't buy another new house, did he?"

Jesse shook his head. "No! No new house. Even better."

"And what is it?" Lindsay wanted to know, hoping that she'd be able to get an answer from her son. But she should have known him better.

"Nope, I won't tell you. I swore I wouldn't talk to you about it. Only to Daddy and Uncle Don."

"Oh, to Uncle Don as well?" For a brief moment she thought about calling Flack to try if she could make him open up. But she knew- those three boys stuck together; neither of them would speak a word about the surprise. Whatever it was. "So I have to wait till we're at home? Will I find it out then?"

"Maybe a little," Jesse answered grinning. Playfully Lindsay rolled her eyes but couldn't prevent herself from smirking. The little boy was a tease, just like his father. But she couldn't deny she was curious and so she really drove a little faster.

A few moments later the two arrived at home. Jesse instantly rushed upstairs, so fast Lindsay could barely follow him.

"Hey, what about the surprise?" she asked.

"You have to wait downstairs, I have to check something," Jesse answered. Lindsay chuckled at the tone in his voice. She didn't have a clue what Danny's surprise could be. She understood that he might have talked to his best friend Flack about it. But making a seven years old boy a part of it as well? This was just too adorable.

A few minutes passed and Lindsay already started to feel nervous while she was sitting on the living room couch, when Jesse finally appeared on the stairs again, grinning broadly.

"You can come upstairs now," he said. "Into the bedroom."

Being incredibly excited now, Lindsay immediately got up from the couch and almost rushed upstairs. When she entered the bedroom, her eyes fell onto a large, flat box, lying in the middle of the bed.

"Is that for me?" she asked the little boy, who was standing next to her. He only nodded in response before he left her alone, heading into his child's room. Excited and nervous at the same time, Lindsay walked over to the bed.

Carefully she opened the box, her eyes widening in surprise when she discovered its content; a long, dark blue, silky dress. When she took it out of the box, she found another little box and an envelope. Thinking about what to open first, she decided to go for the box, looking like the box of a ring or earrings. Her expectation was proven right when she opened it and found beautiful, sparkling, golden earrings in it, decorated with small sapphires, perfectly fitting to the necklace Danny had given to her on Christmas.

Already having tears in her eyes, she took the envelope now, wondering if she'd find an answer for those unexpected presents in it. What was going on? What had made him buy something like that? She opened the envelope and found a small, folded paper.

_Dear Montana,_

_I can pretty good imagine the expression on your face right now. I'm sure you're wondering what all this is about. Usually I'd say I don't need a reason to show you how much I love you. But this time there is something else. A surprise, and those presents are part of it. I want you to wear this dress, the earrings and the necklace tonight. I'll come home and pick you up at 9. Just get dressed and then go and talk to Jesse. He knows what to do next._

_Love, Danny_

If Lindsay had hoped this letter would clarify some questions for her, now she was even more confused. Another surprise, obviously even bigger than this one? Danny would pick her up at 9? And Jesse knew what else to do? What was all this about? As much as Lindsay tried to find an explanation, she couldn't come up with anything. She also knew it wouldn't make sense to question Jesse or Flack; they wouldn't answer. All she could do was waiting for tonight to find out what Danny had planned for her.

--

It was around 8pm. Danny was still standing in the locker room, watching himself critically in the mirror. Although he hadn't even left work yet, his nervousness and excitement was already driving him crazy. This evening he had planned for days now. Everything was arranged, everything was going to be perfect. Perfect for one of the most important questions he had ever asked before. Actually there was no need to be nervous, but Danny couldn't help it.

"Are you ready?" Flack asked, joining his friend in the locker room. When Danny turned around to him, he discovered he wasn't alone; Stella had come with him, staring at him. "I'm sorry. But you know those women. They're mind readers; you can't hide anything in front of them."

"Yeah, especially not when you're such a bad liar," Stella shot back before she turned back to Danny, her eyes sparkling. "So you're going to ask her tonight? You're going to propose?"

Danny nodded. "Yes. And the nervousness is slowly becoming unbearable."

"There is absolutely no need to be nervous," Stella replied. "Don told me about your idea. It's perfect. And you look amazing in this suit. I can't wait until tomorrow to hear what Lindsay is going to tell me. Do you already have the ring as well?"

Again Danny nodded, taking the little box out of his jacket pocket, offering it to Stella. She took it and opened it. The moment her eyes fell onto the little item, her eyes widened, immediately filling with tears.

"I see, this is going to be perfect," she almost whispered, handing the box back to him. "Now what are you waiting for? Your fiancee-to-be is waiting for you. And she has no clue this is going to be one of the most wonderful nights she ever had."

Blushing, Danny smiled lightly. "You think I can go now?"

"Go!" both Flack and Stella exclaimed. Taking another deep breath, Danny nodded and left.

--

Meanwhile Lindsay had already started to get dressed. The dress Danny had bought her just fitted perfectly, the colour a perfect match to the necklace and earrings. He had a good taste, that was for sure. For the tenth time now she watched herself in the bathroom mirror, checking if her hair and make-up were alright. She had still no idea what Danny had planned, but according to the dress and jewelleries, it had to be something special and she wanted to be perfect for him.

Finally satisfied, she left the bathroom and headed downstairs to Jesse, who was watching a children's program on TV.

"Hey sweetie," she said when she entered the living room. "Daddy told me to ask you what to do next after I got dressed."

"Oh, wait a minute," Jesse answered, jumping up from the couch. "You can already sit down."

While Lindsay did what he had told her, the boy rushed upstairs. He returned around a minute later, holding a dark blue, silky scarf in his hands, grinning.

"What are you going to do with that?" Lindsay asked surprised when he joined her on the couch again.

"I'm blindfolding you," he answered simply.

"And why?"

"Mommy! Surprise!" was all she got as a response. Then she already felt the soft fabric on her eyes, feeling how her son blindfolded her carefully. Lindsay had been excited before, but now she wasn't able to wait any longer. This was becoming more and more mysterious with every passing moment.

Luckily she didn't have to wait long until she heard Danny's key in the keyhole.

"Danny, is that you?" she asked, still not used to the darkness she was in all the time now.

"Yes, it's me," he answered. "Obviously you received my surprise."

"I did. And now please tell me what all this is about. Please, Danny," Lindsay pleaded.

"No, not yet," he answered. "But you'll find out soon. We'll just take Jesse over to the neighbours and then...well, you'll see. And no questions anymore. I won't answer."

With that she felt how he took her hand gently and helped her to get up. He leaded her out of the house and over to the car where he told her to sit down already while he took Jesse over to their neighbours, like he had told her. Hours seemed to pass until she heard how the door at the driver's side was opened and Danny joined her in the car.

"Danny..." she started again, but was instantly interrupted by her boyfriend.

"No, I said no questions, Montana. You have to wait. It's a surprise."

With that he started the car, determined to not answer anymore. And this was what he did. The moment they had left the parking lot in front of their house, Lindsay tried to find out where they were driving to. She also tried to ask questions again, but this time Danny didn't even respond to her anymore and so she decided to be quiet.

The trip seemed to last forever. But what confused Lindsay even more was the moment she and Danny left the car. She had hoped they had reached their target now, but instead of taking the blindfold off, he leaded her to another place. A moment later she felt how they started to move again; according to the movements and the strong breeze, they were on a boat or ferry now.

"Danny, what is going on here?" Lindsay asked again, her heart racing now. "Where are we and what are we going to do?"

"Don't you trust in me?" he asked back.

"Of course I'm trusting in you."

"Then wait."

The tone in his voiced made clear that Lindsay didn't have a chance to get any further answers. The fact that they were on a ferry now was confusing her like hell, but as hard as it was for her, she decided to wait and trust in him. As curious as she was, she didn't want to ruin his surprise.

After minutes but what had to be hours, Lindsay felt how the ferry stopped. They left it but again she wasn't freed of the blindfold. Instead of that she had to follow Danny to wherever he wanted to lead her. All she could notice was that they entered a building and had to walk several stairs before she felt the cold of the night again and an even stronger breeze blowing.

Lindsay had reached a point where she wondered if she'd ever found out what was happening when she felt Danny's hands at the back of her head, finally opening her blindfold.

"Don't be scared. We're at an unconventional place here," he said before he removed the scarf from her eyes.

And Lindsay had to admit he was right. They weren't at a conventional place. With huge and surprised eyes she discovered they were standing on a platform, nowhere else than at the torch of the Statue of Liberty.

"What do you say?" he asked, excitement clear present in his voice. Needing a moment to even realise where she was, Lindsay turned around to him, giving him a disbelieving look.

"We're...but how...and why...I mean, how did you..." she stammered.

"Don't ask. It's all legal, Flack helped me. But the 'how' isn't important. The 'why' is though."

"So...this is the surprise?" Lindsay asked, still in disbelief and totally stunned. "Wow. This is...simply amazing."

"I know, it is," Danny answered, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes to calm himself down for what was coming next. "It is a special place, for a special woman. And a special moment."

Alarmed by the sound in his voice, Lindsay turned around to him again. "You said the reason why we're here is important?" she asked.

Danny nodded. Gently he took her hands in his, looking her straight into her beautiful brown eyes, sparkling and full of excitement and hope.

"I planned this evening for a long time. I wanted everything to be perfect. I was thinking about the perfect location for a while, but what's more perfect than the top of the Statue of Liberty, surrounded by water and this impressive view," he started. "Lindsay, we're here because there are a few things I want you to know. When I...when I first met you a few months ago, I wasn't aware of how much you'd change my life and the life of our son. I was impressed by you the moment I saw you. There is something at you that caught my attention and didn't give me the opportunity to stop thinking about you again.

You changed everything for me. You're such a wonderful, warm hearted woman. You're cute and funny, beautiful and sexy, you're a fantastic friend, a wonderful mother and an amazing girlfriend and lover. For a long time I was looking for someone like you. I always wanted to meet someone who I'd love to be together with so much and who'd get along with my son so well. I was sad when I never met this person. But today I'm glad about that I had to wait so long. Because it was worth it. Because so I met you.

I fell in love with you so hard I never imagined could be possible. My son loves you since he saw you for the first time and now you already adopted him. We're a real family now and I can't describe how happy I am."

Feeling the tears rising in his eyes and his voice becoming shaky, Danny had to stop for a moment. But he was not the only one with tears in his eyes; Lindsay had them as well. All the time she had wondered what was going on, what Danny might have planned for her. Now, after hearing this intense, emotional speech, she had a suspicion. Holding her breath she waited for him to continue.

"Lindsay, I love you so much. More than words can say. You're my everything. Will you want marry me?"

The tears Lindsay had tried to hold back desperately, were now running down her cheeks. But she didn't pay attention to them. All she could think about was one single word.

"Yes!" she answered. "Yes, I want to marry you!"

With that she threw herself into his arms, feeling how his closed around her slim figure, holding her tight.

"I love you, Danny, I love you so much," she managed to say between tears.

"I love you, too, Lindsay," he whispered back. Gently he pulled her back a little so he could look at her, smiling. "I can't tell you how happy you made me with this answer."

"Are you kidding me?" Lindsay replied, sobbing but smiling as well. "As if I would have said 'no'."

They looked at each other for a moment, like they had done so many times before. But then Danny remembered he had forgotten something.

"I have something for you," he said and pulled the little ring box out of his jacket pocket again. "This is for you."

He opened the box. The moment Lindsay's eyes found the small ring, new tears instantly started to form in them.

"It's so beautiful," she said, smiling even more.

"Just like you," he replied. Carefully he put the ring onto her finger.

Again Danny and Lindsay looked into each others eyes, amazed by the intense emotions flowing between them, before he pulled her back into his arms, holding her as tight as he could. He had spent hours with planning this perfect moment for them. All the time he had been incredibly nervous. But it had been unnecessary. Because his proposal had been a full success. And now they were going to marry.


	23. The surprise, part 2

"I think this is by far the most romantic place I have ever been at," Lindsay said into the silence.

"Definitely," Danny agreed.

They were still standing on the platform at the torch of the Statue of Liberty. Lindsay was resting against Danny's chest with her back while his arms were wrapped around her tightly from behind. They had been silent for many minutes, both deep in their thoughts, enjoying the impressive view and the warmth of the nearness of each other.

They were going to marry.

Whenever Danny repeated this in his mind, he had to smile broadly. Flack had told him more than once that there was no chance she'd say 'no'. Stella had said the same. They had told him the love between them was so obvious, but somehow he had still kept on worrying if maybe they just said that to encourage him.

But all his worries had been unnecessary. She had said 'yes'. And Danny was still not able to believe he had actually proposed. He could clearly remember the conversation he had had with Mac years ago. 'It might happen to you as well,' his boss had said. 'Love' he had meant. At this time Danny had never expected how right Mac would be with this statement. Now he wasn't just totally in love; more than he had ever expected to be possible. No. He'd marry her as well.

Peeking over Lindsay's shoulder, he noticed her looking down at her left hand, admiring the ring he had given to her. Gently he placed a soft kiss onto her cheek, snuggling even closer against her.

"The ring is so beautiful," she said, with her finger carefully tracing over the sparkling stone.

"I knew it was just perfect for you when I saw it in the shop," Danny replied. "It reminded me of you."

Lindsay chuckled, lightly turning in his arms until she was able to look at him. "You're an amazing man, you know that? I love you so much."

"I love you, too," he whispered back, kissing her.

They remained at the Statue of Liberty for a few more minutes before they left again. Lindsay had expected them to drive straight home, but Danny had other plans. For him the evening wasn't over yet. There was something else he had planned for her; another reason why Lindsay hadn't been allowed to take the blindfold of until they had reached the torch of the Statue.

"Oh my god!" Lindsay exclaimed after they had left the Statue and entered the free area in front of it. Her eyes widened, sparkling in joy. Close to the river with a fantastic view at the skyline, she saw a table with two chairs, lovingly set. "You...you..."

"Wouldn't it be sad if the evening already ended?" Danny asked, smiling at her. He could barely hide how thrilled he was about her reaction. He had invested a lot of thinking and a lot of love into preparing this special night for his wife-to-be. "But I also thought that it'd be boring to simply go into a restaurant. Here we don't have just privacy, I'd say it's pretty romantic as well."

"It is, believe me," Lindsay replied. She looked at him, with an expression that revealed she seemed to feel like she was dreaming. Gently he took her arm and leaded her over to the table. He pulled her chair back and allowed her to sit down before he walked over to his own.

"Wow, you're not just romantic, you're also a gentleman," she teased, smirking at him.

"The best is just good enough for you, sweetie," he replied, winking at her. "I hope you're hungry."

With that he took the large red whine bottle out of the cooler, standing right next to the table, opened it and filled the red, delicious looking liquite into their glasses. After setting the bottle aside again, he turned his attention back to the impressed Lindsay, who was still trying to take the surroundings in. Gently he rested his hands loosely on hers, causing her to look at him again.

"I'm sure the cook will have finished the starter in a few minutes," he said. Lindsay only nodded at that and to Danny's surprise he discovered tears in her eyes.

"Are you alright, baby?" he asked a little concerned, not sure how to interpret the way she was looking at him.

Lindsay nodded, smiling, while the first tears were already running down her cheeks. "'Alright' doesn't even come close to how I'm feeling," she said, her voice shaking lightly. "I'm...I'm just speechless. I have no idea what to say. I'm impressed. And amazed. And right now I could laugh and cry, and both at the same time. I don't think someone has ever done something like that for me. And the proposal...I always had an imagination of how I wanted this moment to be. But that here, it's simply...perfect. It's perfect. Like you. And I still can't believe all that is really happening."

Seeing the gratitude in her beautiful sparkling eyes and listening to how happy he had made her with this one night, Danny couldn't hold back his own emotions anymore. He had hoped she'd like his ideas, but that she'd love it so much; that surprised even him.

"It is really happening," he said, his voice low and warm. "I wanted this to be perfect, because...you're perfect for me as well. Like I said, you changed everything for me. You're my great love. You're my everything. All I wanted to do was making you happy, making this night one you'd always remember. I'm happy it worked."

Lindsay didn't respond to that. Instead of that she squeezed his hands gently and bent over to him. Smiling Danny took the offering and kissed her long and lovingly.

Together the couple enjoyed dinner. They didn't talk much; words weren't needed in these particular moments. Danny had always wondered if it was true what people were telling; everyone had a soul mate somewhere and there were people who could communicate with just looking at each other. Now he knew they had been true; he had found this person in Lindsay. Looking into her eyes was enough for him to know what she was thinking and what she was feeling. She was his soul mate, that was for sure. There was this strong bond between them and he knew it'd be like that forever.

The hours passed quickly and both couldn't deny they were sad when they had to leave again. After several minutes, when they were already sitting in the car, driving home, it was Danny who broke the almost magical silence.

"You said you had an idea of how your proposal should be," he said. "Do you also have plans for your wedding?"

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah. I think every girl has them. But it's just a dream, an imagination. We don't have to do it like that."

"Do you want to tell me what you have in mind?"

Lindsay blushed lightly, shrugging. "I'm not sure. I mean, we don't have to do it like that anyway."

"Doesn't matter."

Lindsay sighed, before she answered, "Okay. Well, I never really wanted to have a huge wedding. I don't need 1000 guests. All I want is it to be romantic. I want our families to be there, and our best friends. And I...well, actually I never planned on marrying in New York. In Montana there's a sweet little church. I have been there several times when I was a child. It's incredibly romantic, especially in summer and winter. I always dreamt I'd marry there." Ending her description, Lindsay looked over at Danny, slightly insecure. "What do you say about that?"

"You want to know what I think?" Danny asked back. When she nodded, a smile lit his face. "I'd say this is definitely one of the most beautiful ways to marry. A small party and marrying in a romantic little church in your home state."

"Does that mean..." Lindsay asked, her eyes widening in surprise. "Does that mean you..."

Smiling even more, Danny nodded. "Yes. I think your dream should definitely come true."

Briefly he looked over at her, seeing her huge, tears filled eyes and the happy, grateful expression.

"This would be amazing," she whispered.

Danny only smiled in response. And once again this night he had managed to surprise Lindsay. He hadn't lied when he had said that this was definitely a wonderful way to marry. It was romantic, and somehow he had started loving being romantic. She'd have her dream wedding, that was for sure.


	24. Jesse's birthday

**A/N: Huge thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing this story and all my other fics! I added a poll to my profile, so you can tell me which other fics you'd like to see updated. :)**

**Here's the next chapter for you!**

When Danny and Lindsay arrived at home again, they headed over to their neighbours, who had taken care of Jesse. Usually Flack and Stella would have done that, but the two had still had to work. Jesse had already fallen asleep and as careful as possible, Danny tried to carry him over to their house, trying to not wake him up.

Entering the house and walking upstairs worked pretty good, but when Lindsay tried to remove his clothes, the little boy mumbled something before he opened his eyes a little.

"Mommy? Daddy?" he asked sleepily, first looking at Lindsay then at Danny. To his father he said, "Will you marry her now?"

Danny chuckled, nodding. "Yes, we will. This also means you can talk about the wedding from now on."

Jesse nodded tiredly. "But I won't carry a basket with flowers." With that he closed his eyes again and fell back asleep.

"A basket with flowers?" Lindsay asked surprised turning around to Danny, who sighed playfully, smirking at her.

"Don't ask me where he heard that kids have to carry baskets with flowers at a wedding. But according to him he definitely doesn't want to do that."

"Oh, that's sad. And he would have looked so cute in his suit, throwing flowers in the church," Lindsay replied teasingly.

After putting Jesse into his bed, Danny and Lindsay decided to go to bed as well. While getting out of her clothes, Lindsay noticed how tired she was herself. The night had been wonderful, but now she could hardly keep her eyes open. Putting on her casual sleeping clothes, she lay down in bed, wrapping her blanket around herself while she listened to Danny, who was still in the bathroom, showering. A comforting and warm feeling spread inside her. She was slowly realising that what had happened hours ago had indeed been real. Smiling happily, her eyes found the engagement ring, which even seemed to sparkle in the darkness of the bedroom.

Lindsay was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't hear Danny returning into the room. She only noticed his presence when he joined her in bed, cuddling against her. Without saying a word, she turned around in his arms so she could face him.

"Thank you," she whispered. "For everything."

Even in the dark it seemed like she could see him smiling. "You're more than welcome." With that he placed a soft kiss onto her lips before he pulled her closer against him. Minutes later, both had fallen asleep.

But before Danny and Lindsay could start with their preparations for their wedding, another important event was coming up; Jesse's birthday. The boy was going to have his eighth birthday and that made Lindsay slightly nervous. Until now she had never arranged a birthday party for anyone, especially not for a child, but she wanted it to be great. It was the first time he'd celebrate his birthday together with his father and mother.

To her luck, Jesse had his current addiction to anything and everything that had to do with dinosaurs, so at least they had a motto for their party. They decided that at the boy's birthday, only Flack, Stella, Hawkes, Mac and Adam would visit them. The day after that they'd have a party with his friends for him. This party would be mainly lead by Danny and Flack, who had planned a huge 'dinosaur surprise' for the little boy, while Lindsay and Stella would take care of food and lemonade for the little guests.

Much to Jesse's dislike, Danny and Lindsay had also decided that he'd get his presents after coming back from school, together with the ones of his guests. After celebrating two other birthdays with him, Danny had learnt that giving presents to him in the morning was a bad idea; the boy didn't concentrate on school and always managed to take at least one toy to school.

So it was no surprise that Jesse almost stormed out of school after his last lesson, not able to get to the car fast enough.

"Mommy, Mommy!" he shouted already half way to the car. "We have to hurry! We have to get home as fast as possible! You have to drive as fast as a formula 1 racer!" Without really stopping he almost jumped into the car, closing his seatbelt.

Lindsay looked at him for a second before she shook her head in amusement and entered the car. All the way home Jesse tried to make her drive faster, telling her how super important it was that he got to his presents. Lindsay was relieved when they could finally park in front of their house. She had just managed to stop the car when the boy had already left it, on his way to the front door.

"Hey, hey, hey, slow down," she shouted, reaching him just in time to prevent him from storming inside. "You'll get to your surprise fast enough."

"But Mommy," Jesse contradicted, his eyes pleading with hers. "I need to see them now!"

"You will. But slow down. They won't run away."

With that Lindsay finally opened the door. Amused she saw how the little boy forced himself to not run inside as fast as possible to throw himself at his presents.

"Happy Birthday, Jesse!!" he was greeted the moment he entered the living room. The boy's eyes instantly lit up, a huge smile on his face. Danny, Flack, Stella, Mac, Hawkes and Adam were all standing around the huge dining table, which was covered with several presents, wrapped into colourful paper.

"Hey buddy," Danny said, smiling at the amazed expression in his son's eyes. "Don't you want to have a look at what we have for you?"

Jesse threw a short, questioning glance at Lindsay. When she nodded, he walked over towards the table, the first half of the way forcing himself to go slowly before he rushed the last few feet. Quickly he climbed onto one of the chairs.

"Oh, so many presents!" he exclaimed, carefully taking the first one into his hands. He read the name, written on a little sign, attached to it. "Auntie Stella and Uncle Don," he read, smiling broadly. "Oh, can I open it?" he asked, looking into Lindsay's direction, who was now standing next to Danny.

"Of course. You can open them all," she answered, smiling at him.

Grinning broadly, Jesse finally started to unwrap the present, squealing at the toy dinosaur he found under all the colourful paper. Admiring every single present for minutes, he unwrapped the rest of them, finding more toy dinosaurs, books, toy cars and many other things.

"Oh, those are the bestest presents I ever got!" he shouted, jumping down from his chair to embrace every of his guests. When he wanted to hug his parents as well, Danny stopped him.

"Wait a minute with that," he said, smirking. "I think you missed one present."

Confused Jesse threw a brief glance at the empty dining table before he looked back at his father. "Where is it?" he wanted to know.

Danny and Lindsay shared a short glance before Lindsay answered, "Maybe you should go into the garden and look there."

Excited by the thought of getting another present, Jesse rushed over to the door that lead into the garden. He hadn't even noticed that the curtains were closed before. Quickly he pulled them open and before any of his guests or parents could reach him, he screamed in joy.

"Oh my god!" he shouted, jumping up and down in front of the closed window. "Oh my god! My first own bike!"

With huge, sparkling eyes, he turned around to his parents. "This is my first own bike!" Overwhelmed by his own excitement he rushed over to them and threw himself into their opened arms.

"So you like your present?" Danny asked.

Jesse nodded enthusiastically. "It's awesome!"

"That's great," this time Flack said. "Then your Daddy and I can show you how to ride it."

"Yes!" Jesse exclaimed. "Oh, can we start now? Can we?"

With pleading eyes he looked back at his parents, who nodded. And before either of them could say anything the little boy rushed back to the large glass door to get to his present.

"I think you should go and help him," Lindsay whispered into Danny's ear. "I don't want him to hurt himself on his birthday while trying to ride his bike."

Flack, who had heard her, chuckled. "Are you sure Danny is the right one to show him how to ride a bike? When we were younger, he needed ages to learn to do that."

"Oh, so when you're such an awesome biker, then let's go and have a look at who's better," Danny replied.

Flack grinned. "Is that a challenge?"

"It is!"

With that the two men followed Jesse, who was already trying to get onto his bike.

"Oh, Don and Danny trying to show who's the best biker on a child's bike? This I have to see," Hawkes said.

"Yeah. We don't want them to get hurt," Mac agreed.

While the three men followed the two friends and the little boy, Stella and Lindsay remained standing in the living room, amused smiling.

"Will they ever grow up?" Stella asked, shaking her head.

"You want me to be honest?" Lindsay laughed, causing her best friend to laugh as well.

Lindsay always knew that Danny loved acting like a child, especially when he was together with Flack. But she couldn't deny how cute he was then.


	25. Men and kids

**A/N: Thanks for voting! Here's part two of Jesse's birthday. Read and review! :)**

The rest of Jesse's birthday was spent with all five men trying to show the little boy how to ride a bike. Lindsay and Stella joined them a couple of times before they prepared dinner. Listening to the sounds coming from the garden, Lindsay couldn't help but smile the whole time. Who would have thought that a simple bike could entertain five grown up men and a boy for an entire afternoon?

"Can I go back into the garden again and ride my bike?" Jesse asked after they had finished dinner. "Please, Mommy."

But Lindsay shook her head. "Look, Jess, it's already dark outside. You can't see where are you driving to."

"But my bike has a light," Jesse answered.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's right," Lindsay sighed lightly. Easy excuses didn't really work with this boy. "But it's anyway too dark outside. And cold. You can continue that tomorrow, alright?"

Jesse groaned lightly but nodded. "Okay, can I play with my other toys then?"

"Yeah, of course."

While Jesse went over to the living room couch where his new presents were lying now, his guests remained sitting at the dining table to talk. Once again Lindsay was impressed by how much like a family their friends had become to her. In Montana she had also had a connection to her co-workers. They had been friends, but they had never been that close. Inviting their team and even their boss for a birthday party would have been something impossible.

But now it was different. When Lindsay had arrived in New York, she had been insecure how her relationship to her new co-workers would be. Would they accept her as one of their own? Or would she just be another colleague for them?

This had quickly changed when Lindsay had gotten closer and closer to Danny in record time. Now the two of them had their own little family and were engaged. And the rest of the team, especially Flack and Stella, had become an important part of this family as well. Being together with them like this, talking, laughing and just spending time together, was what made Lindsay love being in New York so much. She felt like she had finally arrived at home.

"Hey, is Jesse alright?" Adam suddenly said, interrupting her in her thoughts. Danny and Lindsay turned around into the direction of the couch where the little boy had been playing all the time.

Danny chuckled lightly. "Looks like his birthday has been exhausting for him," he said, getting up from his chair. "I think we should put our birthday kid into bed."

"I'll help you," Lindsay replied. To her guests she added, "If you could excuse us for a minute..."

"Oh, no problem," Flack answered generous. "As long as the two of you come upstairs again and don't do something else up there."

"Don!" Stella hissed at him, hardly able to prevent herself from laughing. "That's not polite."

"Yeah, but from Danny's lost twin I didn't expect anything else," Lindsay shot back, smirking, before she followed Danny upstairs.

Putting Jesse into his bed was easier than usual. The little boy didn't even wake up when they removed his clothes and changed him into his sleeping clothes. While Danny wrapped him tightly into his blanket, she watched them.

"It was a really nice birthday," she said quietly.

Danny nodded in agreement. "I think until now it was his best birthday party." With a grin he added, "But this is nothing compared to the party we planned for tomorrow."

Lindsay chuckled, snuggling against his chest when he closed his arms around her in a tight embrace. "Are you sure you and Don want to be entertainers for five seven and eight years old boys?"

"I can't wait for it," Danny whispered back, placing a gentle kiss into her hair.

They remained in Jesse's bed for another minute, holding each other before they left and headed back downstairs to their other friends.

Mac, Hawkes and Adam stayed for another half an hour before they left as well. Stella and Flack stayed at their house for the night, because the next day they wanted to help their friends to prepare everything for the kids party.

The next morning, Lindsay was woken up in her most favourite way. She felt a light contact on her lips. Tensing slightly her eyes remained closed. The second time she felt the gentle touch, this time lasting a little longer, she could identify it. But her eyes remained closed. She wondered how far Danny would go to wake her up. But instead of continuing he suddenly stopped.

"Baby, I know you're awake. So open your eyes," he whispered. She didn't react again but then felt a light movement on the bed. She wondered what he was doing and got the answer in the next second when she felt his entire weight on her.

"God, Danny," she gasped, opening her eyes just to see him smirking down at her.

"What?" he asked. "I wanted to cuddle with you but you didn't react."

"Oh, poor boy," she teased back. "And if you don't get down from me now, I won't ever again."

Sighing he rolled down from his girlfriend but not without pulling her with him until she was lying on top of him. "At least it worked," he whispered into her ear, kissing her gently.

"Yes. But you know, Stella and Flack and our son are next door. And I won't..."

"Won't what?" Danny asked back, moving her a bit so he could face her. "What do you think I was going to do, huh? I was talking about cuddling."

"You never just cuddle, Danny," Lindsay replied, raising her eyebrows at him.

"No?" He pulled her even closer, smirking at her.

"No," she answered and with a smirk back at him added, "And now let's get up. There's much to do for today. You can already go and wake the others up. And knock before you enter Don's and Stella's room." Before he could hold her back, she moved out of his arms and got up; much to his dislike.

"That's not fair, Montana," he groaned, glaring at her. But all he got was a smile in response before she headed to the bedroom door to be the first one in the bathroom. Cuddling in every way would have been nice now. But she knew how this'd end. And the chance that either their son or someone else could enter the room was just too high.

The young guests were supposed to arrive in the early afternoon, at around 3. Lindsay was glad that Stella was there to help her with cooking and preparing all the little snacks for the kids. Apart from that their job also was decorating everything. Now, around half an hour before the boys should arrive, the entire house looked like they had straight gone back into the Stone Age. She and Danny had bought pretty much every thing that had something to do with dinosaurs.

"Wow, impressive. I can't believe this is actually your house and not a cave somewhere in Montana with T-Rex as your neighbour," Stella teased grinning.

Lindsay sighed, but couldn't help but smile as well. "Don't ask me where this addiction of Jesse is coming from. But obviously it's normal at this age. His friends are acting the same way."

"Then Jesse's birthday party will be a full success," Stella answered. "He'll be the star in his class."

"Oh, he will," Lindsay agreed, laughing.

The two had just placed another plate of sweets in the living room when they heard noises coming from upstairs. Jesse broke out into laughter.

"Oh my god, you two look awesome!" he shouted.

"Yeah, yeah, great. When he's already laughing like crazy the other kids will think we're complete morons," Flack said, sounding pretty annoyed. "Tell me again why I'm doing that?"

"Because you're my friend," was Danny's simple answer. "And come on, look at me, I don't look any better."

"You do! Your outfit is at least green. But why did I have to play a red dinosaur?" Flack pouted.

Lindsay and Stella shared a short glance, biting their tongues to not start laughing as well. Without even seeing their boyfriends they could already imagine how the two men looked like in their dinosaur outfit they had just bought for Jesse's birthday party.

"Come downstairs so we can see you as well," Lindsay shouted. She didn't get an answer. Instead of that the two men came downstairs, both seeming to not be happy with the way they were looking like.

"I think the two of you are looking gorgeous," Stella said, grinning at Flack.

"Funny, Stell, really funny," Flack mumbled.

"Oh, don't be mad," she replied, taking his face into her palms. "You're one sexy red dinosaur, believe me." And before he could contradict, she kissed him.

Danny, who had watched the whole scene, walked over to Lindsay as good as possible in his large outfit, smirking at her.

"What about me?" he asked. "You still owe me something after leaving me alone," he said.

Chuckling Lindsay bent forward to place a quick kiss onto his lips. "And now get ready. Our guests will arrive in a couple of minutes."

And she was right. A few minutes later, five seven and eight years old boys arrived with their parents. The parents were quickly forgotten when the children spotted the impressive decoration and the two 'dinosaurs' that greeted them. After telling the mothers and father when to pick their children up, Stella and Lindsay disappeared into the kitchen from where they had a good view at the show in the living room but had some privacy as well.

"I still can't believe that Danny and Don are seriously doing that," Stella said, chuckling while watching the two.

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah. Seeing them like this, you wouldn't think they are detectives and are able to chase and tackle down a suspect or make them confess crimes. But actually it's no surprise. When it comes to his son, Danny is willing to do pretty much everything."

Her eyes remained focussed on the scene in the living room, mainly on Danny. While watching him playing with the children, her thoughts started to drift away. Yes, it was true. Danny had many different sides. The detective was one of them. He could be hard and severe, could handle really dangerous situations, could make a suspect break down and confess. But he had another, completely different side as well. When it came to his family, he seemed to be a completely new person. He could spend hours with being there for her, listening to her, cuddling with her. And he could spend hours with playing with his son, reading him good night stories and entertaining him. Despite what he might have thought once, Danny was a family person. Just like her. And for the first time since the two of them were together, she suddenly got an idea.

"Linds? Are you okay?" Stella suddenly interrupted her in her thoughts.

"What? Oh, yes, sure," Lindsay answered, shaking her head lightly to clear her mind. "I was just...thinking about something."

"May I ask about what?" Stella wanted to know.

Lindsay hesitated for a moment, not sure what to say. She had thought about this for the very first time and she wasn't really sure what to think about this idea. But Stella was her best friend. To who else could she talk?

"I don't really know how to explain it," she started. "It's just...I'm incredibly happy to have Jesse. And Danny. I always wanted to have a relationship like this, with a child. And soon we'll marry. That's amazing but...there's something else I'd love, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea..."

"What is it?" Stella asked.

"I'm really happy with how everything is right now, really," Lindsay answered. "It's just...I mean, I...I also want to have...another child some day. I want to be pregnant. I want to have a baby and raise it together with Danny. And...well, actually 'some day' is wrong. I'm feeling that I'm coming to the point where I really want that. Especially on days like this."

Stella nodded. "That's more than understandable. But what's wrong with this wish?"

Lindsay sighed deeply. "Actually nothing. But...we adopted Jesse a few months ago. He's our son and we should concentrate on him. And...I'm afraid he might feel neglected when we'd have another baby. Especially because..."

"...it'd be your biological child, right?" Stella completed.

Lindsay nodded. "Yes. And I don't want him to feel like that."

"But do you think you and Danny would treat him and the baby differently? Do you think you'd treat the baby better?"

"No, never!" Determined Lindsay shook her head. "Never. For me there is no difference between Jesse and any other child I'd have. My child is my child."

"Then were is the problem?" Stella asked. "When Jesse feels that you and Danny are still loving him, he won't have any problems. Of course he might be jealous from time to time, that's normal, especially because he had his Daddy's full attention for three years now. But it will also be nice for him to have a baby brother or sister. You'll see. And I know you and Danny. It'll never happen that one of you would neglect any of your kids. No matter if you'd have 1 or 10."

"So what am I going to do now?"

"Talk. The best thing to do in my eyes. Talk to Danny about that. You'll have to do that anyway. And then you'll see what he thinks about this topic." And with a warm smile Stella added, "I hope you know, if you ever need anything you can always come to me."

"Yes, I know. Thank you, Stella," Lindsay answered, smiling back.

Stella was right of course. Danny and Lindsay loved Jesse from the bottom of their hearts. Another child wouldn't change that. And of course they had to talk about this topic. They didn't have to have another child yet, they could wait a bit. But it was definitely worth to be mentioned.


	26. Baby talk

**A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing! So Lindsay wants a baby. What will Danny say? R&R! :)**

Lindsay and Stella remained in the kitchen, talking. Like most of the time when they were talking about something, they forgot everything around them and so didn't notice now it became quiet in the living room. They only noticed that something was different when Danny and Flack joined them in the kitchen, both looking exhausted.

"Hey, what are the two of you doing here?" Lindsay asked surprised, throwing a short glance into the living room, where the little boys were lying everywhere in the living room.

Flack sighed deeply. "We told them it's night and they have to sleep. God, I really need a break now." With a groan he sat down on the chair next to Stella, as good as possible in his dinosaur outfit.

Lindsay stood up and walked over to Danny, who just took a bottle of water out of the fridge.

"How is it going?" she asked quietly, smiling at him warmly.

"Pretty good. Exhausting but good," he answered, smiling back.

"You're just incredible, Danny," she whispered, placing a soft kiss onto his cheek. Surprised he raised his eyebrows.

"Thank you. But where is this sudden realisation coming from?" he wanted to know.

Lindsay smiled even more. "Why? Because of all this here. This party. And the way you're playing with the kids. You're such an amazing father."

"Like you're an amazing mother," he replied, kissing her back. "You know how much I love kids." He kissed her again before he added, this time a bit louder, "I think we should go back now. There is no way you can make these kids stay quiet and pretending to be asleep for any longer."

Flack groaned again. "Okay, okay. But you owe me something."

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Danny answered. Together the two left the kitchen again and headed back into the living room. Still smiling, Lindsay watched them. Danny loved children, that was for sure. And so she decided she'd have a little talk with him later.

At around 8pm in the evening, one parent after the other arrived at their house to pick the children up. All of them had huge, sparkling eyes, all amazed by the surprising and entertaining party. Right after the last child had left, Danny and Flack rushed upstairs to get out of their outfits.

"How did you like your birthday party?" Lindsay asked Jesse, who was sitting on the living room couch, quiet and exhausted but looking happy.

"It was the bestest party ever," he answered. "Daddy and Uncle Don were awesome dinosaurs. Paul even said he wished his Daddy would be as cool as mine."

"Then it was really a success I'd say," Stella answered, smiling at the little boy's happiness.

Around another two hours later, most of the house was cleaned up again and Jesse was in bed. Flack and Stella had just left to spend the night at Flack's place. Lindsay was already lying in bed, tightly wrapped into her warm blanket, waiting for Danny who was in the bathroom to have his shower, which he really needed after spending hours in a warm dinosaur outfit.

Lying in bed, listening to the sounds coming from the bathroom, Lindsay felt how her heart started to beat faster. During the last few hours she had thought about hers and Stella's conversation. And the longer she thought about what her friend had told her, the more she realised that the other woman was completely right. There was nothing wrong with wanting another child, a sibling for Jesse. She was pretty sure that Danny wouldn't have a problem with a baby either, but she needed to talk to him first. And according to her feeling, she couldn't wait for days and weeks. Even if they didn't plan on having a baby now, at least she wanted to know what he was thinking about her idea.

A few minutes later Danny finally entered the bedroom. Lindsay could clearly see how tired he was, but he seemed to be happy as well.

"Do you feel better now, after having your deserved shower?" she asked.

"I didn't feel bad before," he answered, smirking, while joining her in bed. "I think I can even get used to playing the party-clown for kids."

"I knew you'd have fun," Lindsay said, snuggling against him while he closed his arms around her. They were silent for a few minutes, simply lying in each other's arms. Actually this was the perfect moment for a little talk. Closing her eyes, Lindsay tried to make herself relax before she broke the silence again.

"Did you ever think about having more children?" she asked.

"Hm, sure," Danny answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, just because...well, I mean..." Lindsay stammered. What should she say now? Coming straight to the point? Maybe that was the best to do. "I was just thinking that...maybe we could have...a second child one day?"

Nervously she waited for an answer. When Danny didn't say anything, she moved in his arms until she could see his face, already expecting the worst. But the moment she could face him, she noticed the huge smile on his face. She gave him a questioning look.

"What do you think?" she wanted to know.

"I think that is just wonderful," he answered. Incredibly relieved about this answer, Lindsay let out a deep sigh, causing him to chuckle. "Everything okay? What else did you expect?"

"I'm not sure," Lindsay replied, blushing lightly. "I mean, we have Jesse. And...to be honest I'm unsure about that anyway. Maybe we should concentrate on one child. I'm also not sure what he'd think if we had a second child."

"If those are your only fears, I can relieve you," he said.

"What do you mean with that?"

Smiling even more, Danny changed her position a bit until she was almost lying on top of him, looking him straight into his eyes.

"Yes, we have Jesse. But after getting used to my role as a father, I always wanted to have at least one more child. I always wanted him to have siblings. Only because we have more children doesn't mean that we can't concentrate on Jesse anymore. And about Jesse; coincidently I know that he'd be more than happy about another kid."

"Really?" Lindsay asked surprised.

Danny nodded. "Yeah. He even asked me if he could have siblings one day, because one child at school just got one. I'm sure he'd be more than happy about that."

"So that means..."

"That means I'd love to have another child with you and I'm incredibly happy you want it as well."

"Did you also think about...how long you want to wait?" Lindsay wanted to know.

"Depends on you," Danny answered, causing her to look at him with huge eyes. "Whenever you feel ready for that."

Stunned by so much support, Lindsay couldn't help but stare at him for a moment. Deep inside she had already expected him to say 'yes'. But that he'd like the idea so much surprised her.

"I think maybe we should wait a bit. We're going to marry soon, so this'll mean a lot to do. Maybe after that. What do you say?"

"Sounds like a plan," Danny agreed. "Then we have also enough time to get prepared."

"Perfect," Lindsay replied.

They continued talking for another few minutes before they decided it was about time to finally sleep. But while Danny fell asleep a few minutes after closing his eyes, Lindsay remained awake for a bit longer. She was still stunned by how easily he had agreed with her. They were going to have another child soon. Their little family was growing steadily. First they wanted to concentrate on their wedding. But after that they'd come back to this topic. And waiting didn't mean they couldn't practice yet.


	27. It has to be perfect

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing! Here's already the next chapter. At the moment my muse is working like crazy. lol I already wrote the next nine chapter for this story, and there'll be many, many more. I hope you'll continue reading. But before I talk about future chapters, here's chapter #27. Enjoy it and maybe leave me a review. I love them so much. :)**

"Can we go?" Stella asked, following Lindsay into the house.

"Sure," Lindsay answered, grabbing her handbag which was lying on the cupboard near the front door. To Danny and Jesse, who were sitting in the living room, she shouted, "Alright, boys, I'll be back in a few hours."

"As long as you return today, it's okay," Danny shouted back, causing Lindsay to chuckle. She and Stella were going to go shopping. But when one went shopping with Stella, the person really had to fear that she wouldn't come back home for at least four hours. Usually Lindsay really disliked shopping; much to Danny's pleasure. But today was different; Stella and her had to look for something special- Lindsay's wedding dress.

"Are you excited?" Stella asked when they were sitting in her car a few minutes later, on their way into the city.

"A little," Lindsay answered.

"A little?" Stella asked back, raising her eyebrows. She had the gift to immediately notice when Lindsay wasn't saying the truth; sometimes that was good, sometimes that was bad, especially when there was something Lindsay didn't really want to talk about. "Come on, Linds. Don't tell me buying your wedding dress isn't totally thrilling."

Lindsay laughed, shaking her head. "Okay, okay, I admit, it's almost driving me crazy for days."

"That's what I imagined," Stella answered, laughing as well. "I can't wait to see you in a wedding dress."

Sighing lightly, Lindsay nodded. "Yep, I can't wait either. I just hope I'll find a nice one. I want it to be perfect. I want Danny to remember it, even after we're married for...let's say 50 years."

"Linds, he'd even remember you after 80 years. This guy is totally in love with you," Stella replied. "He'd even remember your wedding dress if you were going to marry in a shirt and jeans."

"Anyway, when I'll buy such a dress, I want to see it and say 'wow, that's it'. Like men do when they buy engagement rings, you know?"

"Don't worry about that," Stella answered in a determined voice. "There's a reason why I'm called Master of Shopping. I'll find you a dress that'll make Danny fall even more for you. If that's even possible."

"I hope so. I'm trusting in you," Lindsay replied, smiling at her friend. She really trusted in Stella. Not only that she was good with shopping, Stella was honest and she knew what Lindsay wanted without her needing to say anything. The two knew each other for months now, but to both it felt like they had met years ago. Maybe even were something like lost sisters.

A little bit later, the two women arrived at the wedding shop Stella had chosen for them.

"You know what, you can already have a look at the dresses in the shop window, I'll just go over there into the coffee shop. They have some special sort of coffee and Don wanted me to buy some. If I forget it again he'll have this 'I'm so damn disappointed now'-look on his face for the rest of the day," Stella said, rolling her eyes playfully.

"Alright," Lindsay answered. Amused she tried to imagine this expression of Flack; she was pretty sure she had already seen it on Danny as well.

Lindsay just wanted to turn around to head to the near shop window, when something else caught her attention. Not far away she discovered a woman sitting on a bench. The woman was holding a baby, Lindsay expected it to be not even half a year yet. With a warm smile on her face, the mother was talking to her child, which was looking up at her with huge, sparkling eyes, giggling. Watching the two, who didn't pay any attention to anything around them, Lindsay could feel it again, this warm feeling deep inside her. During the last time she had felt it often, especially when she had watched Danny and Jesse together. She knew exactly where this feeling was coming from; her wish for a baby was growing with every day.

"Really cute, right?" Stella's voice interrupted her in her thoughts. "When will I be able to arrange a baby shower for you?"

"Stella, I told you I talked to Danny, but we'll wait, at least after the wedding."

Stella sighed playfully, nodding. "Okay. But you know, there are still a few months left till that. And you shouldn't forget the pregnancy months."

"Yeah, yeah," Lindsay answered, trying to change the topic. "Can we go in there now?"

"Yes, of course," Stella replied. She knew when she had to drop a topic. "Let's find you the perfect wedding dress."

But that was more difficult than both women had expected. Usually Lindsay was easy to please when it came to buying clothes. But this time it was different. The shop had a lot of different wedding dresses. But as nice as those dresses looked like, neither of it came even close to what Lindsay was looking for. Although she didn't even know what exactly this was.

"I'm so sorry, Stell," she said after around two hours. "I have no idea where my problem is. They're all really nice, but..."

"...not perfect," Stella completed, nodding. "I know what you mean, kiddo. You have to feel it. But don't worry, even if we spend another two hours, or the whole day here, it's fine. I promised you we'll find your dress and we will." She let her eyes wander over the dresses they hadn't tried on yet. "Oh, what about this one here? It looks really nice."

Lindsay took the dress Stella handed to her and looked at it. She was right, it looked nice. It wasn't something special but there was something at it that caught her interest. Not really sure about the result, Lindsay headed back into the changing room to try it on. Without looking into the mirror, she changed into it before she turned around. The moment she saw herself in the wedding dress, her eyes widened. What had looked like nothing special now instantly took her breath away.

"How is it?" Stella asked. Without saying a word, Lindsay pulled the curtain back. The second Stella laid eyes on the dress, she had a similar reaction to Lindsay, just with the difference that tears rose in her eyes.

"Wow," she said. "You look just...amazing. Please tell me it's what we were looking for."

Lindsay nodded, feeling the first tears in her eyes as well. "It's perfect, isn't it?"

"Definitely," Stella agreed, smiling broadly. "Danny won't be able to tear his eyes away from you for the entire wedding."

Laughing Lindsay wiped the first rolling tear away. Yes, she could indeed imagine Danny doing that. The dress was amazing and perfect. Even she had to admit that. And while she removed it again, she couldn't wait for the day she'd wear it; her wedding, one of the most wonderful day in every woman's life.


	28. Talking to Madeleine

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing! Here's the next chapter. :) R&R please.**

"Daddy, the doorbell rang!" Jesse shouted from downstairs in the living room.

Danny, who was in the bathroom, half lying in the bathtub while cleaning it, sighed. "I can't come down right now. Please go and have a look who it is, alright? And don't open the door without asking who's there."

"Oh, Daddy, I know how to open a door," Jesse replied, rolling his eyes. He got up from the couch and headed to the front door.

"Who's there?" he asked without opening the door yet.

"Hey, are you Jesse Messer?" a female woman asked back.

"Yes, that's me. Who are you? My Daddy doesn't allow me to open the door for strangers."

"Your Daddy is absolutely right," the woman replied. "But I'm no stranger. My name is Madeleine Monroe."

Jesse's eyes widened in surprise. "Monroe? Oh, my Mommy's name is Monroe as well."

The woman laughed lightly. "Yes. Lindsay, right?"

"Yes! Do you know her?" the little boy asked, becoming even more excited.

"Yes, I do. She's my daughter."

"Oh, you're my Mommy's mommy? Then I'm sure I can let you in." With that Jesse unlocked the front door and opened it, grinning up at the woman, who really looked a bit like Lindsay, just older.

"You can already come in, I go and tell Daddy that you're Mommy's mommy," he said.

Madeleine Monroe chuckled. "You don't have to call me 'Mommy's mommy'. Just call me Grandma."

"Okay," Jesse said, grinning. But before he could head upstairs, they heard a voice coming from the stairs.

"Hey Jesse, who's at the door?" Danny asked while coming downstairs. Surprised he stopped at the bottom of it, staring at the woman next to his son.

"This is Grandma," the little boy said.

"Grandma?"

"Madeleine Monroe," Lindsay's mother introduced herself.

"Oh, welcome," Danny greeted, still surprised. Quickly he tried to remember if his fiancee had told him that her mother wanted to visit them but he couldn't come with such a situation. To Jesse he said, "Hey buddy, could you go upstairs and play a bit while I talk to Mrs. Monroe."

"Okay," Jesse instantly agreed, much to his relief. No discussions this time.

After the little boy had left, Danny turned his attention back to his fiancee's mother, who looked at him, smiling.

"Just call me Madeleine," she said, referring to what he had said to his son earlier.

"Alright, Madeleine. I'm Danny Messer," he introduced himself. "Lindsay isn't at home yet. She's at work and won't be here until an hour or so."

"Oh, that's no problem," Madeleine answered, already heading into the living room, letting her eyes wander through it. "My husband didn't arrive yet either. He's visiting his brother."

"Freddie Monroe?" Danny asked, following the older woman.

"Yes," she said, sitting down on one of the living room couches, still with a smile on her lips. "But so I have the opportunity to have a little talk to my future son-in-law."

Releasing a tiny sigh, Danny nodded, trying to smile back. Since he and Lindsay were together, he had already thought about the day he'd meet Lindsay's parents. Thinking about this meeting had frightened him a bit; according to what his fiancee had told him, it was really hard to please them.

Now her mother was sitting on his living room couch, looking at him, wanting to talk to him and he was alone, having no clue what to do. Or if he'd screw up.

"Do you...maybe want something to drink? Or to eat?" he asked.

"Water would be nice," Madeleine replied. Grateful for an answer, Danny nodded and headed into the kitchen. When he returned with the glass of water, he felt a little more relieved. He'd try his best to please her, but more wasn't possible.

"Thank you," Madeleine said. She took a sip while Danny sat down on the couch across of her.

"Alright," she continued, setting the glass onto the coffee table. "I can't believe the two of you are going to marry and we haven't met yet."

Danny nodded, blushing lightly. "Yeah. Actually we were planning on visiting you in summer, but...well, then the wedding got into the way."

Madeleine nodded. "That's why I and Harry decided to visit the two of you. Maybe it's even good Harry isn't here yet." Winking at him, she added, "You know, fathers like to ask a lot of embarrassing questions about the man who's going to marry their daughter."

Listening to this comment and seeing the expression in her eyes, Danny chuckled relieved. He didn't really know how he had expected Lindsay's mother to be. But obviously she was different from his expectations; she was friendly and didn't seem to have a problem with him. But before he'd meet Lindsay's father, who was hopefully friendly as well, he had another question to ask.

"So you two didn't have a problem with Lindsay and me getting together to fast? And that we bought a house already and that she adopted Jesse?" he asked.

Madeleine shook her head. "No, absolutely not. I have to admit, my husband and I haven't been thrilled when Lindsay had decided to move to New York. It's far away from Bozeman and...well, maybe we were just a little overprotective. But when I talked to Lindsay about what had happened here, I noticed how excited and happy she is with her decisions. Danny, all I want for my daughter is to be happy, and obviously she is more than happy now. I was always hoping she'd find a guy like you and would have kids. I don't care how long she's together with you; when two people are meant to be together, time isn't important."

Smiling at this last sentence, Danny nodded. "That's what Lindsay always says as well."

Madeleine laughed. "I know. And she's really right with that." A little quieter she added, "To be honest, Harry and I didn't need long until we decided to marry either. We were together for three months and he already proposed to me. Two other months later we married."

"Oh, really?" Danny asked. He was surprised by how tolerant and open Madeleine Monroe was speaking to him; obviously his former worries had been unnecessary.

"Yes," she answered. "But as romantic as his proposal was, it didn't come close to your idea with the Statue of Liberty. That was really fabulous."

Blushing again, Danny smiled. "Yes. I wanted it to be special for her, so she'll always remember it."

"I'm sure she will. Did the two of you already decide where you want to marry? Here in New York maybe? I'm sure you have a lot of great places for a wedding here."

Danny nodded. "Yeah. But actually we are planning on marrying in Montana."

Hearing this, Madeleine's eyes instantly widened in surprise. "In Montana? Really? Oh, that's a surprise. Lindsay didn't mention that yet."

"I'm sure Lindsay wanted to do that soon. We already started to arrange everything. Now we only have to send the invitation cards."

"Do you already have a location?" Madeleine wanted to know.

Again Danny nodded. "Yes. The wedding will be in a small church, a few miles away from the city. Lindsay wanted it like that. And I want her to have her dream wedding."

"I see," Madeleine said and a warm smile lit her face. "Danny, the more I'm listening to you the more I can understand why my daughter fell in love with you so fast. You really seem to love her as well."

"I do, believe me," Danny agreed, his face in a bright red tone now.

"So I've never have to worry that she might be unhappy, right?"

Danny nodded determined. "Definitely."

The two continued talking. The longer the conversation lasted, the more Danny relaxed. He had been almost frightened that Lindsay's parents would have a problem with him and with their daughter's decision to have a family with him. He had been afraid he wouldn't be good enough for them. But according to the way Madeleine was talking to him and smiling at him, she seemed to even like him. Now he only had to hope that Harry would react the same way.


	29. Talking to Harry

**A/N: Wow, thanks for reviewing! Here's the talk to Harry! Enjoy and r&r! :)**

Lindsay was driving down the road that lead to hers and Danny's house. Like always she took in the peaceful area surrounding her. It was almost unbelievable that they were living only around half an hour away from the city. Lindsay was more than grateful that Danny had suggested to move to this place. It was just perfect for her; not somewhere nowhere in the country but also not right in the middle of the city. The perfect mix.

In the distance she could already see their house. But then something else caught her attention. Living in the suburbs for months now, Lindsay had gotten a special view for her surroundings; she knew pretty much everything that was going on around her house. So she instantly noticed the strange car that drove a few feet in front of her. She narrowed her eyes a bit to have a better view at it. A rental car? Why did it stop in front of her house? Driving a bit slower, she watched the car until she saw how a person left it. A man. A man she knew.

"Dad?" Lindsay said, raising her eyebrows in disbelief. Was that seriously her father over there? What was he doing here? Quickly she drove the last few feet to her usual parking lot and managed to leave her car just in time before her father could knock at the door.

"Hey Dad!" she shouted, waving when the older man turned around to her. Quickly she rushed over to him.

"Hey Linds," he greeted her, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"What are you doing here?" Lindsay wanted to know.

"Your Mom wanted us to come here," Harry Monroe answered. "When you told her you were going to marry, she wanted to come here to meet your fiance. And to be honest, I wanted to meet him as well."

Instantly blushing, Lindsay nodded. She could clearly remember how Harry had reacted to pretty much every boyfriend of her yet. "Okay. But...do me a favour, okay? Danny is a wonderful man. Don't beat the hell out of him only because he proposed."

Harry laughed. "Oh, come on, Linds. I'm not such a mean person. Let's get in there. I hope he's alright after spending an entire hour with your mother."

"What, Mom's already here?" Lindsay asked, even more surprised. Great, so she could be pretty sure that she had already talked to Danny. Alone. Poor him.

Together the two entered the house, Lindsay already preparing for a difficult situation between her fiance and mother. But to her surprise she found the two sitting in the living room, laughing, obviously not even noticing the two coming in. It was Madeleine who looked up, noticing her daughter and husband.

"Hey, finally you two arrived," she said, causing Danny to turn around as well.

"Yeah...uh, obviously you've been faster," Lindsay answered, giving Danny an excusing smile. She threw a short glance at her watch before she asked, "Did you already eat?"

"No, I didn't have time to cook yet," Danny answered, already getting up from the couch.

"Oh, really?" Madeleine asked, getting up as well. "Why didn't you tell me I was disturbing? I could have waited. Or helped you."

"No, no, it's okay," Danny instantly contradicted. "I had been cleaning when you arrived. I wanted to cook later, so the food is still warm when Lindsay arrives."

"Oh, isn't that incredibly sweet of you?" Madeleine said, smiling at him warmly.

Surprised and amused, Lindsay followed this little conversation between her mother and Danny. The laughter hadn't been a coincidence; obviously the two got along really well. Which surprised Lindsay even more; usually no man was able to even get close to her parents' wishes. And a New Yorker guy? Actually that was impossible.

"You know what? I have an idea," Madeleine continued. "Lindsay and I should take care of lunch today. Harry, you didn't have a chance to talk to Danny yet, you should really use the time and do that now. Maybe the two of you could get to know each other a little better, Lindsay and I will call you when lunch is finished, okay?"

Without waiting for one of the two men to answer, she grabbed her daughter's arm and pulled her towards the kitchen.

"Mom, I don't know if that's a good idea," Lindsay whispered, throwing a short glance at her father, who hadn't really said a word since they had entered the house.

"Don't worry, he won't dare to be mean to him," Madeleine, who had noticed her daughter's gaze, responded. "I'm sure he'll like Danny as much as I do."

Lindsay sighed, nodding. Maybe her mother was right. Hopefully she was right.

In the meantime, Danny was still standing next to the living room couch, unsure on what to do or to say to the older man in front of him. The talk with Lindsay's mother had been surprisingly easy. But what about her father? But staying quiet wouldn't help them either.

"So...looks like they left us alone," he said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "But...I think getting to know each other better isn't a bad idea."

Harry Monroe nodded. "Yeah, I think that's right."

"Okay. Maybe we could...go into the garden? It's quieter there I'd say."

"Alright."

Together the two men left the living room and headed into the garden, again neither of them saying a word. Danny wasn't sure about how to start a conversation. What could he say? What could he ask? Maybe how the flight to New York had been? Yeah, maybe. But the fear to say something wrong to his great love's father was making it almost impossible for him to open his mouth and come up with a proper sentence.

"Are you alright, Danny?" Harry suddenly asked. Surprised about the fact that this time the other man had started to speak, Danny looked at him.

"Uh...yes, sure," he answered, trying to not blush again. In front of Lindsay's mother that was okay, maybe even cute for her. But in front of her father? No, better not.

"Really?" Harry asked back. "Well, I have the feeling you're a little nervous. Or even afraid."

Danny's eyes widened in shock? Did Harry really just ask him if he was afraid. "Oh, well, Mr. Monroe..."

"Call me Harry," Lindsay's father interrupted him and when Danny looked at him again, for the first time since his arrival, he smiled. "There's no need to be afraid, Danny. I have no idea what Lindsay and Maddie told you."

Now incapable of preventing himself from blushing, Danny couldn't help but smile lightly. "Actually they didn't say much. But...I mean, it's often said that fathers aren't happy when their daughters are going to marry."

Harry laughed. "Yeah, I think that's true. Usually the guys, Lindsay took home, never had it easy with me," he answered. "But I think this time it's different."

"Oh yeah?" Danny asked surprised. "May I ask why?"

"Of course," Harry answered and started to explain. "The difference is that I don't really have to look at you for more than a second to notice that you really love my daughter. Your eyes are saying more than words. All I want is her to be happy, and obviously she is happy, maybe even happier than I had seen her for the last years. And all that's because of you and your son. How could I have a problem with you when you're making my daughter happy like that?"

Blushing even more, Danny nodded. "Making her happy is all I want as well. She deserves it."

"Yes, she does," Harry agreed. He paused for a moment, looking at his future son-in-law, before he continued, "Danny, the reason why Maddie and I are so overprotective and critical is, because...well, somehow she's still our baby. I'm sure you know she has an older brother."

Again Danny nodded. "Yeah, James. She calls him very often."

"Exactly. Well, Lindsay is our youngest child. Everyone always had this instinct to protect her. Although- being determined and powerful like her, she hated to be protected."

Danny chuckled. He could imagine that. Lindsay hated people being protective of her.

"I think you know how she is. We tried to give her some space, but...well, there happened a few things and after that we swore that we'd never let anything happen to her again."

"What?" Danny asked, alarmed by the sudden change in the man's voice and by what he was talking about. "You said you never wanted anything happen to her again? What happened to her?"

Harry hesitated for a moment before he answered, "There happened something when she was a teenager. Something with her friends. She was in danger, and after that we swore that we'd never let something like that happen to her again. That's also why we weren't really happy when she decided to move to New York; into a huge city, so far away. But with the time we realized that we can't protect her all the time. She's a grown up woman, and she has to decide on her own. As long as she's happy with her decisions, it's okay. This should be highest priority for us."

Danny only nodded at that. He understood what Harry was trying to tell him. But there was something else spinning in his mind now. Something Harry had mentioned but he hadn't known about yet. The mysterious things that had happened to her in the past and had caused her family to be even more protective about her. But before he could think about how to find out what this secret could be, there was still something he wanted Harry to know.

"You don't have to worry because of her anymore," he said. "I'll do everything to protect her. She and my son are my everything."

Harry nodded, smiling. "I know."

The two men remained in the garden for another half an hour, talking about different topics. But as much as Danny tried to concentrate on the conversation, he couldn't do anything against the fact that his thoughts drifted away to the question what Lindsay was hiding in front of him. According to the way Harry had talked about it, it had to be something serious. But why hadn't she mentioned that yet?

When the two women told them to come in again because lunch was finished, Danny was greeted by a smiling Lindsay, who was incredibly happy that the first meeting between her fiancé and her parents had worked so well. Danny knew he had to talk to Lindsay, because he wouldn't be able to stop thinking about something that obviously was so important. He decided to ask her about that later. As careful as possible of course, but he needed to find that out.


	30. Talk to me

**A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing! Here's the next chapter for you. And it's already chapter 30! Yay! :) R&R.**

After his conversations with Lindsay's parents, Danny felt much more relieved. All he wanted was them accepting him as their daughters partner; something they had immediately done. They were just very protective of her. For a good reason obviously. A reason Danny didn't know much about yet.

Lunch with the Monroes went nice and peaceful. When Jesse joined them, the little boy was amazed and happy to finally meet his grandparents from Montana. Like always he couldn't get enough of asking questions, listening excitedly when his grandparents told him about their farm they were living on. Living next to animals? That was exactly what the boy loved.

It was late in the afternoon when Lindsay's parents decided to leave again.

"Where will you stay?" Lindsay wanted to know, leading them to the door.

"We'll stay at Uncle Freddie's place," Madeleine answered.

"Oh, but you could stay here as well," Lindsay suggested. "Our house is bigger. It's big enough for the two of you."

"It's okay, Linds," Madeleine replied. "Like I told you, we'll only stay for two days. And I think you have enough stress here and with your jobs."

"Alright." With a tiny sigh, Lindsay first embraced her mother and then her father, smiling at them. "I'm happy the two of you visited us. I hope we'll do that more often."

"Yes, and next time it's our turn to come to Montana," Danny said. "It's about time I finally get to see where my fiancee grew up."

"You can come and visit us every time."

With that Harry and Madeleine left. While Jesse was already back in his room, playing, Danny and Lindsay started to clean the dining table and the kitchen. All the time Danny was wondering how he could start a conversation with his fiancee that could lead them into the direction of what he wanted to know from her. He didn't want to just ask, but also didn't know how else to start.

"Your parents are really nice," he said after several minutes of silence.

Lindsay, who was standing at the sink, cleaning some dishes, nodded, smiling. "Actually there was no need to worry. There was no way they couldn't love my great love."

"You're sweet," he replied, stepping behind her. Gently he closed his arms around her waist from behind, pulling her back against his chest. "I like them as well. They seem to care a lot about you. Even when this can get annoying for you."

Lindsay chuckled. "Oh yeah. It can get annoying. But it's them. They're just very overprotective persons. I can understand them tough, I would do everything to protect Jesse as well."

"Me, too," Danny replied, placing a gentle kiss onto her shoulder. He hesitated again.

Actually this was the perfect moment to ask his question, to lead the talk into the direction he wanted to. But he couldn't.

"What do you want to know?" Lindsay suddenly asked into the silence, causing him to look up in surpise.

"Huh?" he asked, stunned at the sudden confrontation. This behaviour was really getting creepy.

Turning around in his arms, she looked up at him, raising her eyebrows. "Danny, I know you like myself. There is something you want to ask. I can almost feel your question. So what is it?"

Sighing deeply, Danny tried to look away from her. It was still shocking him how good this woman knew him. But why not being honest? One day they'd talk about this topic anyway.

"When I talked to your father, he explained why your family is so extremly protective of you," he started. "He mentioned something that happened to you in the past, when you were a teenager. Something with your friends."

Seeing how the expression on her face instantly changed, becoming more serious, Danny regretted his question. Maybe it would have been better if he had waited for her to bring it on by herself.

"Lindsay, I'm sorry," he added quickly. "Maybe...this was not the right moment for that. I'm sorry, I was just wondering...I mean..."

"It's okay, Danny," she interrupted him, gently taking his hands into hers. "It's okay, really. Maybe I should have...already talked to you about that. But to be honest, I haven't even thought about this...thing for a while."

"I'm sorry I reminded you," Danny replied quietly. Why didn't he just ask Harry?

Sighing lightly, she gave him a little smile. "Like I said, it's okay. There...really happened something. Something really bad. Horrible. But...would it be okay to you if we talked later? When we have more time?"

Danny instantly nodded. "Yes, of course. Whenever you want."

"Thank you." Smiling a bit more, Lindsay placed a gentle kiss onto his cheek before she turned around to the sink again. She tried to act like she had done before, but Danny only had to look her into the eyes to know nothing was right. He felt guilty because he had brought those memories back, whatever they were about.

--

It was late in the evening when Danny left Jesse's bedroom, carefully closing the door. He had just checked if the little boy was asleep. He threw a quick glance over to their bedroom. He knew Lindsay was already in there and he could already imagine what'd happen when he'd go in there as well. But he wasn't sure if this was really the right time for her yet.

Quietly and slowly he headed over to their room and entered it. He found Lindsay lying on her bed, staring towards the ceiling. Even from his position at the door he could see the sad expression in her eyes, hurting him deep inside. Until now he had never seen her like that.

Danny hesitated for a moment before he walked over to the bed and lay down as well, right next to her. His eyes also wandered up to the ceiling, staring at it for several minutes.

"Well, Montana," he said then, carefully trying to break the silence. "I'm really trying my best, but I have no idea what's so interesting at this ceiling. Do I need to paint it maybe?"

He turned around to look at her, seeing how she chuckled, a little smile on her face. Relieved he smiled as well. How a simple, little sentence could make a situation easier.

"You want me to talk now, right?" Lindsay asked.

Danny shrugged. "I don't know. Depends on what you want."

Lindsay nodded, taking a deep breath, closing her eyes before she looked back at Danny. Then she started to talk.


	31. What happened in the past

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing! Here's the talk. R&R.**

"The...thing with my friends, it happened many years ago, when I was 16," Lindsay started. She closed her eyes, trying to order her memories. Feeling how much strength that cost her, Danny took one of her hands gently into his, squeezing it lightly to show her his support. When she opened her eyes again, he could see the first tears in them. But she continued talking bravely.

"Actually the evening started really nice," she said. "School had just finished and we had had our last day before the summer holidays. My friends, Kelly, Amy, Belinda, and I decided to celebrate that. So we went to our favourite place, a diner in Bozeman. A friend of my Mom, Sarah, worked there, as a waitress. We spent the entire afternoon and evening there, talking and laughing. Somewhere along the line all guests had left, but we were still sitting at our table. We didn't want this evening to end."

A tiny smile lit Lindsay's sad face when the memories of her friends came back into her mind, clear, like she had just seen them a few hours ago.

"We told us how much we'd miss each other during the holidays," Lindsay continued then. "Kelly said that she hadn't even packed yet, because it was the first time she'd be away from home. It...it was such a wonderful evening. We already started to make plans what we wanted to do when we'd meet again."

While the first tears were running down her cheeks now, Lindsay had to stop again. Seeing his girlfriend like that; in a way he had never seen her before, Danny felt tears rising in his own eyes as well. He wasn't sure what Lindsay would tell him during this conversation, but he didn't need much imagination to know that it had to be something horrible.

"I'm sorry," she suddenly said, looking up at him again, trying to give him a teary smile. "I didn't really say anything yet and I'm already crying."

"Don't apologize," Danny answered warmly. "It's okay. Take the time you need. And when you want to stop, just say it."

Lindsay nodded. Taking another deep breath, she continued, "I don't really know why anymore, but somewhere along the line I got up and headed into the bathroom. I was washing my hands there and even in there I could hear them laughing. But then...then I heard the doorbell. And only a brief moment later I...I heard the first shot. I heard their screams, and...and another shot. And another. And another. I...I sat down and pressed my hands onto my ears. I was so...so frightened. I had no idea what was going on out there. And then suddenly everything was quiet."

Again her voice trailed off. Instinctively her grip around Danny's hand tightened and she squeezed her eyes shut. The memories of this night so many years ago were slowly overwhelming her, causing her to cry even more.

Feeling his heart breaking into thousands pieces at the sight in front of him, Danny moved closer.

"We can stop if you want," he said quietly, gently stroking through her curly hair. But Lindsay shook her head, opening her eyes again.

"No, no, I started that, and I'm going to finish it," she answered. Pausing for a moment, she went on, "I was in the bathroom and didn't dare to move. I...remember that the water was running and I was afraid that it was to hear outside. After...after a while I got up and moved over to the door. I don't know what I thought at this moment, but I...opened the door a bit and look out of it. And...and I saw him. A man, with a gun, covered in blood. I...I stayed in there until I could hear the doorbell again and then I left the bathroom again. It...it was horrible. I found them all, my friends and Sarah, shot. Everything was full of blood. I...called the police and...I don't remember what happened then."

After finishing her painful description of what had happened to her and her friends, Lindsay broke out into uncontrolled sobbing. Without saying a word Danny moved closer to her and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight, letting her cry.

He was shocked. He hadn't been sure what he had expected her to tell. But that she had witnessed the murder of her friends and could be glad she hadn't been shot as well? That was really horrible. No surprise her family was extremely protective of her.

They sat like that for many minutes, Danny letting her cry, stroking her back gently. Then Lindsay started to move in his arms until she managed to sit up, looking at him with reddened, tearful eyes.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about that earlier," she said, her voice still shaking lightly. "But...I didn't really think about it since I came to New York and I...also didn't want to bother you with that."

"You don't bother me with anything," Danny answered. "No matter what it is, you can talk to me about everything. I'll always be there for you."

Smiling lightly, Lindsay nodded. "I know. Same counts for you."

Smiling as well, Danny placed a gentle kiss onto her forehead. He wanted to say something, but he was interrupted by a noise coming from the bedroom door. Both turned around, noticing how it was opened lightly and Jesse's head appeared.

Quickly Lindsay tried to wipe her tears away, but before either of them could say anything, Jesse had already seen what was going on.

"Mommy, did you cry?" he asked concerned, quickly rushing over to the bed.

"No...well, yes. But it's nothing bad, really," she answered, trying to control her voice as good as possible.

"Oh, but you and Daddy didn't fight, right?" he asked, before he looked at Danny, who shook his head.

"Don't worry, buddy," he answered, giving his son a little smile. "Everything's okay. Mommy was just a bit sad about something. You know that, don't you? Sometimes you just have to cry, because you're sad, although nothing really happened at the moment. Like when you remember something."

"Oh, you mean like when I cried, because..." Jesse answered, stopping. Knowing that his son was thinking about all the times when he had cried about his parents, Danny nodded.

"Exactly. And something like that Mommy cried about. And do you remember how we made you feel happier again?"

Jesse instantly nodded. "You hugged me." With that he turned back to Lindsay, who had finally managed to wipe the last few tears away. "Do you think it'll help you if we hug you as well?"

Hearing the warmth and concern in her son's voice, Lindsay couldn't help but smile. "Yes, I'm sure it'll help."

"Great." Quickly Jesse moved over to her and closed his arms around her tightly. Danny joined him, pulling both, his fiancee and his son, in a tight, comforting embrace.

Without saying a word, the three lay in bed, holding each other tight, until Danny and Lindsay noticed that the little boy had fallen asleep again.

"Do you want me to take him back into his room?" Danny wanted to know, but Lindsay shook her head.

"No, let him stay here," she whispered.

"Okay," he replied, nodding. He watched her for a while, before he added, "I can understand why your family tries everything to protect you. And believe me, I'll do the same."

"I know you'll do," she answered. "But...to be honest, I'm not worrying about that. Not a bit. The only thing that really frightens me is, that something could happen to the ones I love again. Like to you. Or Jesse."

"I understand. And...I think I can tell you a lot; you'd be afraid anyway. But at least I can promise you that I'll always try my best to protect you, Jesse, myself and everyone else you love. What do you say?"

"That sounds really good," Lindsay replied, smiling at him.

"Perfect," Danny said, kissing her gently before he lay back down again and pulled the covers over them.

Lindsay's speech had been painful, that was for sure. For Danny the information he had gotten had shocked him. But now he also knew what was most important to his fiancee; that her family was alright. And like he had promised to her- he'd try everything to protect them all so she didn't have to be afraid anymore.


	32. Jesse's past

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I think it's about time we find out a little bit more about Jesse. Enjoy, r&r!**

"Mommy? Mommy? Are you awake?"

Being woken up by the quiet, but anyway clear to hear voice of Jesse, Lindsay needed a moment to remember why the boy wasn't in his own bed, where he was actually supposed to be. Right, it had been her idea that he'd stay in their room. After the intense and painful talk the night before, all she had wanted was her family being close to her. It had worked; falling asleep had been much easier.

"Mommy?" Jesse whispered again. And again Lindsay refused reacting. But instead of accepting that his mother might be asleep, the little boy suddenly poked her nose. Instinctively squeezing her nose, Lindsay knew it wouldn't make sense to pretend being asleep any longer and so she opened her eyes, just to stare straight into Jesse's, who was lying next to her. A smile instantly lit the boy's face.

"Oh, I knew you're awake," he said happily.

"Yeah, now," Lindsay replied, smiling. A situation like that was typical for the little boy. "So why did you want me to wake up? Are you hungry? Or bored?"

Jesse shook his head. "I only wanted to know if you're happy again."

Hearing this comment from him, combined with the expression in his eyes, Lindsay's heart instantly started to warm. How cute was the fact that the little eight years old cared about her and her feelings so much?

"I'm happy again, don't worry, sweetie," she answered, stroking through his short, dark hair.

"Really?" Jesse asked back. "That's good. When I was sad and cried, Daddy always was there and hugged me and told me stories. We often looked at pictures of...you know, my other parents. And he made me pancakes. I wasn't sad for a long time then."

"I guess," Lindsay replied, amazed by the honesty of her son. And the fact that he was able to talk about his 'other parents', although he knew what had happened to them. Hers and Danny's wish was that he'd never forget his biological parents. To their luck and relief Jesse could still remember them, but thinking about them made him thoughtful but not sad anymore; something that really impressed her.

"Why were you sad?" Jesse asked then. "Did you lose someone as well?"

Lindsay nodded. "Yes. Three of my friends."

"What happened to them?"

Lindsay hesitated for a moment. She was unsure if it was a good idea to tell an eight years old boy that her friends had been brutally killed by a random person. And there was no need to mention details if she wanted to answer honestly.

"They were shot," she said. Jesse nodded, a slightly sad expression in his eyes now.

"Like them," he said quietly. Quickly he moved closer to Lindsay, snuggling into her arms.

"You remember that?" she wanted to know. She was still not sure about how much of what he had witnessed, Jesse could still remember. He had been four, and a traumatic situation like that could have been blocked out by him. Like Danny had told her, talks to a therapist hadn't really brought any clarification and every child was different.

"Yes, sometimes," the little boy answered, pressing himself more firmly against her. "Sometimes I can see those pictures."

"What do you see?" Lindsay asked carefully. Actually she knew that this was going to be a very difficult conversation; until now Jesse had never talked that much about his past. For a brief moment she wondered if she should wake Danny up. But then she changed her mind. She'd be able to handle this conversation, especially because she could understand the little boy.

"I see a guy. With a gun, but it's larger than Daddy's or yours," Jesse answered. "And I hear them all scream very loud. And cry. And I hear shots. I think the man shot. And I can see them, with blood." He moved in her arms, looking up at Lindsay. "He shot them, right?"

"Yes," Lindsay answered, nodding lightly.

"Like your friends," Jesse said, snuggling back into her arms. "That was so mean."

Again Lindsay nodded, placing a gentle kiss onto his head. "Yes, it was mean."

The two were silent for a couple of minutes, Lindsay rubbing Jesse's back all the time. It was the boy who broke the silence again.

"Can we make pancakes now?" he asked.

"Of course," Lindsay answered. "Let's get up. But quietly, Daddy is still asleep."

Quickly they got out of the bed and the bedroom, making sure to not wake Danny up, who was still deep asleep. Downstairs the two started to make pancakes. During cooking Lindsay noticed Jesse's behaviour changing again. After being quieter, thoughtful and a little sad for the first few minutes, he started to get back to his usual behaviour; he became more open and happier again, much to Lindsay's relief. She had been afraid if the talk could bring back too many memories, could hurt him even more. But obviously the nearness to his 'new' parents helped him.

They had just finished their breakfast when Danny joined them in the kitchen.

"Hey, what's going on here? Pancakes without me?" he asked.

Jesse laughed. "No, Daddy, we just wanted to wake you up."

"Oh, alright," he answered, with an amused smile sitting down at the dining table.

Lindsay noticed how he looked at her briefly, quickly checking her and her mood. After giving him a smile, he seemed to look relieved. Together they enjoyed breakfast. After eating his last pancake, Jesse, never one who liked to remain sitting on his chair, asked if he could go upstairs and play with his toys, what Danny allowed him to do. While he and Lindsay started to clean the kitchen, she could feel how he threw several glances at her again.

"Danny, for the record, just ask what you want to ask," she said, giving him an amused smile.

"I can't hide anything, right?" he asked. When she shook her head, he sighed playfully and answered, "Well, I just wanted to know if you're feeling better today."

Lindsay nodded. "Yes, much better. I would have never thought that talking to you about that would help so much. And talking to Jesse helped as well. Both of us I think."

"What?" Confused Danny raised his eyebrows at her. "You talked to Jesse about that?"

Again Lindsay nodded. "Not much though. He wanted to know if I lost someone as well. And how."

"Did you tell him?"

"Yes. I only said they were shot. And he...well, he said 'like them'."

"Like them?" The expression in Danny's eyes had now changed into worry. "You think he meant his parents?"

"Yes, he did," Lindsay answered.

"But...until now nobody was sure if he could even remember how they were killed." Getting more and more confused, Danny sat down at the kitchen table.

"I know," Lindsay replied, joining him. "I'm not sure since when he can remember what had happened. But he told me that sometimes he sees those pictures, flashbacks maybe. He can remember what has happened to him. Sometimes at least."

"And he told you about that? Without you needing him to ask?" Danny wanted to know. When she nodded, he added, "That's good. At least we finally know that he has memories of that day. I can understand he didn't talk to anyone expect you though. I think he knows you can understand how he felt, so it was easier for him."

"Maybe," she said. "But he also told me how much you helped him, how you made him feel better again. Although he's still so young, he clearly knows how glad he is you were there for him."

Danny smiled lightly, nodding. "I just wish I knew about his memories earlier. Maybe I could have talked to him about them. Maybe I could have helped him a bit better."

"But maybe he wasn't ready to vocalize them until now," Lindsay replied. "Maybe he also blocked them out. I think he just needed time."

"Yeah, possible," Danny agreed, sighing. "I'm really glad he finally opened up to you. Do you think we should go to a therapist with him again?"

"I'm not sure," Lindsay answered, shrugging. "I'd suggest we should watch him for a while. When we see that he might have problems with his memories, we can try that again."

"Alright."

While Lindsay got up to clean the rest of the kitchen, Danny remained sitting at the table, watching her.

"I'm glad you were there for him," he said after a few minutes of silence. "And that you trusted enough in me to tell me what happened to you."

With a smile, Lindsay turned around to him. "Of course. We're a family."

Smiling as well, Danny nodded. "Yes, we are."

Still smiling, Lindsay turned back to what she had been doing before. Opening up to Danny hadn't been easy and she was pretty sure Jesse must have felt the same way. But like she had said, they were a family. And trust was important to make this kind of relationship between them work.


	33. Welcome to Montana

**A/N: Thanks for reviewng! And thanks for all the alerts!! Thank you! :)**

"Will we see the wheat fields and cows and bears now?" Jesse asked excited.

"I don't think we'll see them in the city," Danny answered.

"Oh, why not?" Jesse looked at him disappointed.

"Sweetie, don't worry," Lindsay said, giving her son a warm smile. "When we'll arrive at Grandma's and Grandpa's farm, we'll meet some cows and wheat fields, okay?"

His face instantly lighting up, Jesse looked at her. "Oh, really? And bears?"

"There aren't bears at the farm," this time Flack answered, throwing a quick glance at Lindsay. "Right? That's at least what I hope."

"Don't worry, Don," Stella replied, giving her boyfriend a teasing grin. "I'm sure the bears will stay in the forests where they're supposed to be. And if one should show up anyway, I'll protect you."

"Funny, Stella. Really funny," Don responded, groaning.

Danny and Lindsay, who had followed the brief conversation between their two best friends, which was so typical for them, only laughed. The time they'd spend together would be everything, but never boring.

Together, the five left the airport. Lindsay, who hadn't been in her home town for a long time, instantly started to feel a mix of nervousness and excitement. It was also the first time Danny, Jesse, Flack and Stella would visit her old home as well.

Like they had planned it, Danny and Lindsay wanted to spend their summer holidays in Montana, together with Jesse. Now they had two more companions; Flack and Stella, who wanted to spend the holidays together with their two best friends. This wasn't just a nice idea, but also very helpful; at the end of the holidays, Danny and Lindsay would marry, and the rest of their friends would arrive in Bozeman. But until that time, they'd have two weeks they'd spend in Madeleine's and Harry's holiday house, right next to the farm.

Around an hour later, the van which Danny and Lindsay had rented for them, arrived at the Monroe's farm. Amused Lindsay noticed the excited and impressed expressions on her friends', son's and fiance's faces. Yes, the area where the farm was, was pretty, that was for sure. A small, rocky road lead to the farm, a large building with stables next to it. A few feet away from the farm was another, smaller house; the holiday house. The two weeks they'd spend here would be very relaxing for them.

The moment they had parked the car on the parking lot in front of the holiday house, the front door was already opened and Madeleine and Harry left it, smiling warmly at their visitors.

"Oh, Grandma, Grandpa!" Jesse, who was sitting between Stella and Flack, shouted. Quickly unbuckling his seatbelt, he reached over to the door. "Let me out, Uncle Don."

"Yeah, yeah, slow down, kid," Flack answered, opening the door at his side. Before he could even think about helping Jesse, the little boy almost fell out of the car and rushed over to his grandparents, squealing throwing himself into their arms.

"Grandma, Grandpa, can you show me the animals now please? They're not in cages right? Please, I want to see them now."

"Wait, sweetie," Madeleine answered, laughing. "First let us greet your parents and your Auntie and Uncle, okay?"

"But quickly," Jesse replied.

To the little boy's luck, everyone agreed with that and after exchanging a few quick 'hello' and 'how are you', Harry and Madeleine lead Jesse into the stables while the two other couples started to unpack the car.

"Whoa, Dan, please tell me, who made the law that women have to carry stones in their suitcases?" Flack groaned, desperately fighting with Stella's suitcase, trying to pull it out of the van's trunk.

"Don't ask me," Danny answered, groaning as well. "Better ask why we have to carry those stones then."

"That's pretty easy," Lindsay replied, who was standing at the entrance of the house, grinning amused.

Stella nodded in agreement. "You're doing that because you love us."

Danny and Flack shared a short glance before both shook their heads.

"They know us too good," Flack said, rolling his eyes before he pushed Stella's and his suitcases to the holiday house's entrance.

A few minutes later, the two couples had finally reached their rooms. While Flack had started to unpack the three suitcases they had taken with them, Stella admired her surroundings.

"Wow, what a fantastic view," she said, staring out of the large bedroom window. "Really amazing."

"Yeah, yeah," Flack answered, not bothering to look up. His attention was resting on the third, much smaller suitcase; definitely the less heavier one of his girlfriend's. "What's in here?" he asked, starting to open it.

"Oh, no, don't open it!" Stella shouted. But it was too late. Flack had already opened the suitcase and with huge eyes stared at what he found in it.

"Wow," he exclaimed. "What a beautiful dress!"

"Don! Would you please be quieter?" Stella hissed at him, instantly throwing the suitcase shut again. "You know that Danny is next door. And you should know that he's not supposed to see it yet."

"And what'll happen when he hears me?" Flack asked back. "Don't you think he already knows you and Lindsay took the wedding dress with you? I don't think he'll rush over here to have a look at it."

"Maybe not, but I don't want him to come here and search for it," Stella replied. "Just don't talk about it. Can you do that for me?"

Playfully Flack hesitated for a moment before he nodded, smiling. "Of course. Hey, you know, I want their wedding to be amazing just as much as you want that."

"Good answer," Stella replied, smiling as well, giving him a little kiss.

Meanwhile Danny and Lindsay had already managed to unpack their suitcases. Now Lindsay was standing on their little balcony, enjoying the impressive view in front of her.

"Nice place," Danny said, who stepped behind her, closing his arms around her. "Did you miss this view? This place?"

Lindsay shrugged. "Of course I missed it. A bit."

"You can be honest," Danny replied, gently kissing her into her hair. "I know you missed it. Did you never feel homesick?"

"No," Lindsay answered, shaking her head. "Really, I'm honest. At first I missed it a bit; New York is very different from Montana. But that didn't last long. I love New York, believe me. It's my new home and I love it." Turning around in his arms, she looked up at Danny, amused noticing the relief in his eyes. "What else did you expect me to answer?"

"I don't know," Danny said. "That you'd say you missed it. Maybe that you'd like to...come back one day."

"And leave everything behind?" Lindsay asked back. "You grew up there, you're a New Yorker through and through. And it was always my biggest dream to live there. Our son grew up there as well, and our best friends, who are a huge part of our family, are living there as well. Danny, I love my old home, but there's no way I'd move away from New York again."

"Really?" Danny wanted to know, hardly able to hide his relieved smile.

Smiling back, Lindsay nodded. "Really."

With that she turned around in his arms again. Enjoying the comfort of their nearness and the amusing bits of conversation they could hear from Flack's and Stella's room, she turned her attention back to the view in front of them. Yes, she had missed her old home a bit. But like she had said, New York was her new home and she loved it.

**A/N: I was wondering if I could write a prequel to this story, about what happened before 'Family ties'. How did Danny handle being a father and how did Lindsay decide to go to New York? I think it might be interesting what happened earlier.**


	34. Do you regret it?

"So, do you really think it was a nice idea to spend the holidays in a place like this?" Flack asked Stella, who was still standing at the bedroom window, admiring the Montanan landscape.

"Why shouldn't it be a good idea?" Stella asked back surprised.

Flack shrugged. "No idea. Maybe because we're not used to be in the country."

Laughing in response, Stella shook her head at her boyfriend. "You act like we're lost somewhere nowhere in the wilderness, without any civilization around us. Don, we're in Montana, living in a beautiful holiday house. You don't have to go camping or something."

"Oh, never ever dare to make me camp, okay? No matter what Lindsay and Jesse want," Flack replied quickly, fear, caused by the thought of that alone, in his eyes, causing Stella to laugh even more. Of course she could understand him; usually she felt much better in the city as well. But some quiet, together with their best friends and the little boy? That was a nice difference. Yes, two weeks in the country would be great for them.

"I'm pretty sure you and also Danny will be sad when we'll go back home again," she added. With that Stella bent over to him to kiss him, just in time when their bedroom door was opened quietly.

"Ew, why do adults have to do that?" Jesse asked, shaking his head in disgust. "And then Daddy tells me I'll like that, too? Never!"

Stella and Flack shared a short glance before they started to laugh. Jesse only shook his head at them. But then something else caught his attention.

"Oh, what's that?" the little boy asked curiously, walking over to the half opened suitcase on the bed. Carefully he touched the white, soft fabric. Then he looked up at Stella, a questioning look in his eyes. "May I touch this?"

"You already did, sweetie," Stella replied amused.

"What's it? A curtain? Or a blanket?" Jesse asked, this time causing Flack to laugh.

Stella rolled her eyes at him. To Jesse she said, "This is Mommy's wedding dress. But don't tell Daddy it's here, okay?"

Jesse nodded. "Okay." With that he jumped up from the bed and left the bedroom again.

"Do you think he'll keep it a secret?" Flack asked.

Stella nodded. "Of course. He's not you, Don." Grinning she turned back to the suitcase to finally put it away.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Flack asked back, following her.

Meanwhile Danny and Lindsay were still standing on the balcony, still in a tight embrace. A short glance over his fiancee's shoulder revealed she was deep in her thoughts. In moments like that Danny always wished he really had the gift of reading her mind. When she was quiet like that, he was alway worried that maybe something was wrong. If he was completely honest to himself, he often wondered if she might have second thoughts, if she regretted what she had done and decided during the last couple of months. What if one day she woke up and realised that creating a family with him that quickly had been wrong? He couldn't even bear the thought of that, or the thought that she might stay with them because she thought she had to although she didn't want to.

"What are you worrying about?" Lindsay's voice suddenly interrupted him in his thoughts.

"What?" he asked back, needing a moment to come back to reality. "I'm worrying about nothing."

"Don't lie," Lindsay replied, turning around in his arms so she could face him. "I know you. When you're quiet for so long you're always worrying about something."

"That coming from you," Danny answered, raising his eyebrows at her. But Lindsay wasn't easy to distract.

"So what were you thinking about?" she asked again.

Sighing deeply, Danny shook his head. "It wasn't something important, okay? Not worth to be mentioned."

"I think it is," she replied, not giving up yet. "If it wasn't something bad, where's the problem with simply telling me?"

"But Lindsay..."

"No 'but'," she interrupted him. "Do you remember when I was thinking about adopting Jesse? You didn't give up until I talked. And I won't give up either. So you better answer now."

Knowing his girlfriend good enough to know that she was incredibly stubborn, just like him, Danny sighed once again. There was no way to get out of this.

"I was just wondering...well, I mean..." he stammered, trying to find the right words. "I was wondering if you're really happy."

"Why shouldn't I be happy?" Lindsay asked back, surprised looking up at him. "And didn't I tell you that a couple of minutes earlier?"

"Yeah, yeah, you did," Danny agreed, feeling more and more uncomfortable with the second. "But...do you never have second thoughts?"

"Why should I have second thoughts? About what?"

"Lindsay, don't act like you don't understand me."

"I don't understand you, Danny." Rolling her eyes, Lindsay shook her head at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Nervously Danny rubbed the ack of his head, again trying to find the right words to explain what was going on in his mind.

"I know you love me and Jesse and everything else you have in New York," he started. "But...what if one day you notice that this isn't what you really want. That you want to go back to Montana. That you decided to get together with me, buy a house with me and marry me was too quick. Or that you adopted Jesse. What if you start to regret it one day?"

Finally speaking out what was bothering him for a while now, Danny looked straight into Lindsay's eyes, waiting for a reaction of her. When she didn't respond in the first minutes, he already started to regret his question, but then she finally answered.

"Do you regret it?" she asked back.

Surprised by the sudden question, Danny stared at her. "What? Me? What should I regret?"

"A lot," Lindsay answered. "Okay, you didn't move to New York because you wanted your biggest dream come true. But apart from that, all the things you mentioned are also important for you. So just tell me- since you adopted Jesse years ago, did you regret it? Did you ever think that it was wrong to become his father instead of sending him to foster parents or something like that?"

"No, of course not," Danny answered determined. "I never regretted it. Never, not even for a second. I love him. Sure, a lot changed since I took care of him, but who cares?"

Lindsay nodded. "Okay. Then do you regret this phone call you made the night after you, me and Jesse went to the zoo? When you started to reveal more about your feelings? Do you regret our first date? Do you regret all the time we spent together, all the night we spent together? Do you regret you bought this house for us so we don't have to live in this small apartment anymore and so I don't have to pay rent for a place I don't want to use anyway? And do you regret that you asked me to marry me? Or that you agreed with me that one day we want more children? Do you regret you fell in love with me, Danny? Do you think you'll ever regret that we have a family together?"

Staring straight into his eyes, Lindsay waited for an answer.

"No," Danny answered quietly. "I don't regret anything of that."

"And do you think you ever will?" she wanted to know.

Danny shook his head. "No. Never. I love all that too much."

Again Lindsay nodded. "Then please tell me, Danny, why should I regret it? Do you want to tell me that I love you and our family less?"

"No," Danny answered, blushing. "Lindsay, I...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said something like that. I should have known your answer. But...I was just afraid."

"It's okay," Lindsay replied and to his relief she smiled. "Danny, I know you. You and I, we're so much alike in so many things. I worry a lot, and so do you. I can understand where your fear is coming from, but everything's alright, okay? I love you and our family so much. More than anything else. And I never, never want you to doubt that again. Did you understand that?"

Finally smiling as well, Danny nodded. "I understood."

"Good." With a smirk Lindsay closer her arms around him, pulling him closer again until their lips met in a warm and gentle kiss again. Of course she could understand his worries, but she was determined to show him that they were unnecessary.

Later that day, Danny, Lindsay, Jesse, Flack and Stella headed over to the Monroe's farm to have lunch with them. Lindsay knew how much her parents loved to have guests, especially when it was their daughter with her family and friends. When they entered the large house, the eyes of said family and friends widened in awe and surprise.

"Wow, what a lunch," Flack said, his eyes focussed onto the large dining table, already set lovingly and filled with plates of all different kinds of food. "Linds, your parents are just amazing."

Lindsay laughed in response. "I hope you'll enjoy the traditional Montanan food. And no, Danny, it's not beer and buffalo burgers." Winking at him she headed over to the table.

A few minutes later, the whole family was sitting around the table. The only person who was missing, was Lindsay's older brother, James, who'd visit them later that day.

"I'm really impressed," Flack said with a short glance at Jesse, who was sitting next to Danny, his full attention resting on the large plate in front of him. "I don't know if I ever saw this boy quiet at the dining table."

Hearing the word 'boy', Jesse instantly looked up. "Are you talking about me?" he asked. Glancing up at Danny with a look like he feared he was in trouble again, he added, "I'm not standing on the chair this time, I'm sitting."

Hardly able to prevent himself from laughing, Danny nodded, gently stroking through the boy's hair. "Yes, you are, and that's good. Uncle Don was just saying how good you're behaving."

"Oh, I am, right?" Jesse more stated than asked, grinning at Flack before he turned his attention back to his food.

"So you're going to stay here as well for the two weeks?" Madeleine asked Stella, who was sitting nearest to her.

Stella nodded. "I think two weeks in a beautiful area like this is exactly what we need."

While the others continued talking, Lindsay threw a quick glance at Danny, who was just helping Jesse to cut his meat; something the little boy desperately wanted to do himself but wasn't really good with. For a brief moment Danny's earlier question and her answer to it appeared in her mind again. She hadn't hesitated a second to answer.

When Danny turned back to his own plate again, he looked up at her briefly. Smiling at him warmly, Lindsay rested her hand on his, squeezing it lightly. Once again they didn't need words to communicate. Everything was okay. Both knew that what they had; their little family, was their everything and neither them would ever regret it.


	35. Another child?

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!**

Lunch together with the whole family went very peaceful; much to Lindsay's relief. Before she had called her mother to tell her about all the new events in her life, she had been pretty frightened about meeting them again. But all her worries had been unnecessary; something she had already learnt when her parents had visited them in New York.

Jesse, who was still amazed by the landscape and the fact that he was now practically living next to animals, was also still pretty exhausted by the flight; the reason why he could barely keep his eyes open.

"Maybe you should take him over to the house so he can have a little nap," Lindsay whispered to Danny, pointing at the little boy who had almost fallen asleep on his chair now. "Stella and I will help my mother and then we'll come over as well, okay?"

Danny nodded. "But don't stay here for too long or I'll start to miss you."

Lindsay chuckled, bending over to him. "You're a cutie," she said, kissing him gently.

"I know," Danny replied smiling before he headed over to Jesse. "Hey little boy, I think it's time to go home. You're looking like you're tired."

Half asleep, Jesse shook his head, pushing his father's hands away. "I'm awake," he mumbled. "I'm not tired. I want to go and play with the cows now."

Danny laughed, despite the boy's wish picking him up. "Stop fighting, kid. You're going to have a nap now. You can play with the animals for the next two weeks. That should be enough, shouldn't it?"

Still not convinced and now getting mad, Jesse shook his head even more determined. "Daddy, let me down, I'm not tired."

"Yeah, sure," Danny simply replied and without paying attention to the little boy's attempts at freeing himself out of his father's arms, headed to the front door.

"Why don't you let him play with the cows?" Flack asked, following him. "If he falls asleep during doing that, he'll see that you were right."

Stopping for a moment, Danny raised his eyebrows at his friend. "I told him to go to bed now. He is tired, that's for sure. I don't have to prove that to him. I said he's going to have a nap now and that's what he's going to do now. No contradicting."

"Wow, that I'm calling consequent," Flack replied teasingly. Danny only shook his head at him, smiling amused, before they left the house.

Meanwhile Lindsay, Stella and Madeleine were in the kitchen, cleaning the dirty dishes. Madeleine had told them that it wasn't necessary that the two women helped her, but they had replied that they wanted to. Now, a few minutes later, Lindsay already started to regret it. Not because she didn't want to help her mother but because she suddenly started to feel strange.

"Are you okay?" Stella asked her when Lindsay leant back against the kitchen counter, closing her eyes for a brief moment, causing Madeleine to turn around as well.

Opening her eyes again, Lindsay nodded. "Yes, I'm alright. I'm just feeling a little...dizzy."

"Dizzy?" Madeleine asked. "Oh, maybe it's because of the flight. Maybe you should go over and rest a bit. We can do the cleaning on our own."

But Lindsay shook her head. "No, I'm okay, really," she contradicted. "It's almost nothing. I'll just...go and get the rest of the plates."

With that she left the kitchen, leaving Stella and Madeleine watching her. When Madeleine turned around to her other guest she noticed surprised that Stella was smiling.

"What's funny?" she wanted to know.

"Oh, nothing," Stella replied. "I only think that Lindsay's problems don't have anything to do with the flight."

"And what do you think?" Madeleine asked, now getting curious.

"I'm sure she'll tell us soon," Stella replied. Of course she could have just said what she was thinking, but in fact she wasn't sure if she was supposed to talk about this topic to anyone yet.

When Lindsay returned into the kitchen, she was instantly greeted by both women staring at her. Instantly feeling uncomfortable, she gave them a questioning look.

"What?" she asked. "Is something wrong? I'm really okay."

"Yes, I'm sure you are," Stella responded, giving her best friend a thoughtful look.

Now even more confused, Lindsay headed over to the sink to set the plates down. She didn't have any idea why her friend was looking at her like this now. But she didn't need Stella to say anything to know she had something in her mind. And, curious like she was, Lindsay hoped that she'd quickly find out what it was.

--

Already on their way over to the holiday house Jesse had fallen asleep on his father's arms. Carefully Danny had managed to put him into his bed without waking him up. After wrapping the little boy into his blanket tightly, he stroked gently through his short, dark hair before he got up. Watching him briefly he turned around and left the child's room.

Flack, who had stood at the door all the time, had watched his best friend. He had seen Danny interacting with his son several times but it always impressed him for some reason. Flack and Danny knew each other since their childhood. They knew pretty much everything about each other. Most of the time Flack had been the more responsible, more stable one of the two, which had never really surprised him when he looked at his best friend's relationship to his family and the way he had been raised.

But since the brutal murder this had changed. Danny had been close to Jesse's father and so to the family. The family hadn't had any other relatives. So it had been sure that Jesse would have had to go into orphanage after the killing.

But Danny hadn't wanted that. Flack could clearly remember how unsure he had been when he had taken care of Jesse to prevent him from going into an orphanage. There were two possibilities he had had- either he continued taking care of Jesse or he found another solution. But to Flack's surprise and despite Danny's insecurity, he hadn't needed a second to choose between those two opportunities. Of course it had been clear that a lot would change for him; there was no way he could continue his old lifestyle. But it had been okay to him.

Now, years later, there was no bit of insecurity left. Danny had gotten used to his role as a father. He knew how he wanted to raise his son. So it hadn't been a real surprise to Flack when his best friend had decided to adopt Jesse.

"What are you thinking about, Don?" Danny interrupted Flack in his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, uh...nothing special," he responded. "I was just thinking... You're a really good father, you know that?"

Instantly blushing, Danny smiled. "Thank you," he said. "But how did you suddenly come up with that?"

Flack shrugged. "I always think that when I see you with Jesse. You and Lindsay, you're great parents. And the best example that it doesn't matter if you have a biological child or if you adopted one."

Danny nodded. "All you have to do is loving the kid. That's all."

The two headed back downstairs again, sitting down on the large couch in the living room.

"So what about you, Don?" Danny asked after a few minutes of silence. "Did you ever think about having children yourself? I mean, I never expected myself to have one before Jesse. What about you?"

"I'm not sure," Flack answered. Blushing lightly, he added, "I never really thought about that. But...when I see you and Lindsay with Jesse, and since I'm together with Stella...well, maybe I want that as well."

Smiling, Danny nodded. "I'm sure you'd be a great father," he said.

"And what about you?" Flack asked back. "Do you want to have more children with Lindsay?"

Danny didn't need as long as Flack to answer. "Yes," he said determined. "We already talked about that for a while. She said she at least wants to wait after the wedding. I don't really care how long we're going to wait."

"That's what I expected," Flack answered, smiling as well. "You're a father through and

through."

While Danny and Flack continued talking about children, Stella and Lindsay had just left the farm and were now on their way to their house. They hadn't said a word yet, but there was something Lindsay wanted to know.

"What were you thinking about when you told me that you're sure I'm alright?" she finally asked into the silence.

Smiling again, Stella looked at her friend. "I meant that I know you don't really have any problems," she answered. "There's another reason why you're feeling dizzy, right? And also why you ate so much. And why you're so sleepy sometimes."

Still not understanding what Stella was talking about, Lindsay looked at her confused. "That means?"

Playfully rolling her eyes, Stella chuckled. "You told me you and Danny agreed that you want to have a child, right? Am I right that you already started practicing?"

Instantly blushing, Lindsay stared back at her friend. "Why do you want to know that?"

"Am I right with that?"

"Yes... But why do you want to know that, Stella?"

Smiling even more, Stella answered. "That's easy. I know those symptoms, I read and heard about them more than once. You're pregnant."


	36. What are we hoping for?

1"What?" Lindsay asked, staring at Stella in shock. "You...how can you...I mean..."

Stella laughed. "Ssh, calm down, Lindsay. But you can't deny that those symptoms remind you of something."

"But...I can't already be pregnant," she contradicted, looking more and more confused with every second. "I mean, I just stopped taking the pill. And actually you have to wait around three months until there is a chance that it'll work."

"Oh, Lindsay," Stella replied, shaking her head at her friend. "Do you really think it's that easy? There are several women who forget the pill once and get pregnant. And many women said that you don't have to wait those three months. Whenever you have sex without any protection, you can get pregnant and obviously that's what just happened."

"But we...I mean, actually I didn't expect it to happen that fast," Lindsay said, still stunned. "We were just practicing..."

Listening to her friend, Stella had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from laughing even more. She couldn't deny how adorable the younger woman was in her surprise. But to Stella there was no doubt that her best friend was having a baby.

"But actually it's not bad when you're really pregnant, right?" she asked then. "You wanted to have a baby and you wanted to have it soon. Obviously that's what happening now and that's good, isn't it?"

Lindsay shrugged, still a bit confused and shocked. "But maybe I'm not even pregnant, maybe it's false alert or maybe it's something else."

Stella nodded. "Possible and there's only one way to find that out. We're going to do a pregnancy test."

Lindsay only stared back at her friend and Stella could see the thoughts running through her mind. Of course she could understand Lindsay was confused and surprised; obviously she hadn't expected to get pregnant that easily. But there was only one way to find that out.

"Okay," Lindsay finally answered after a few moments of silence. "But...how do I explain that to Danny? We have so much stress at the moment, with the wedding and everything. And maybe it's really false alert."

"Possible. But who says you have to tell him now?" Stella asked back. "You know what we'll do? We'll go and buy a test now. Then we'll come back and tell them we bought some make-up stuff and want to have a look at if it's good. I don't really think they'll start asking questions then."

Sighing deeply, Lindsay nodded. "I hope you're right with that."

With that the two women headed over to the van to drive into the city. All the time Lindsay was silent. Her heart was racing and she felt incredibly nervous. What if she was really already pregnant? Of course Stella was right; this was what she had hoped for, what she had wanted to happen. But that fast? While thinking about that, Lindsay also started to feel slightly naive. What had she been thinking? Sex without protection- of course the possibility had been there.

Stella, who was driving the car, only threw several short glances at her friend, but not saying a word. She could feel her nervousness and didn't want to make it worse. She knew that actually the baby would be wanted, but it came unexpected for her.

Finally in the city, it was Stella who parked in front of the pharmacist and then headed inside. Lindsay remained in the car, staring on a random point in front of her, several thoughts spinning in her mind. She didn't really know why she was so incredibly confused and surprised. When Stella returned and came back into the car, Lindsay almost jumped.

"Are you okay?" Stella asked, a little bit concerned.

"Yes. Did you get it?"

Stella nodded. "I bought three, just to be sure."

"Okay," Lindsay responded, nodding. "I only hope Danny won't immediately notice what's going on. He always knows something is up, without me needing to say anything."

"Don't worry," Stella replied, giving her a supportive smile. "I'm your alibi. I'll do the talking, alright? And when we know for sure if you're pregnant or not, we'll decide what to do next. What do you say?"

Lindsay hesitated for a moment before she smiled. "You're such a wonderful friend, Stella," she answered gratefully. "I don't know what I'd do without you. I'm so glad you're here and you're helping me."

Blushing, Stella smiled back. "That's what friends are for, right? Let's get back home."

Around another few minutes later, the two women arrived back at the holiday house. The moment Stella had parked the car, Lindsay could feel her heart beating even faster. They were getting closer and closer to finding out if she and Danny were going to have a baby.

When the two entered the house, they instantly noticed Danny and Flack, who were sitting in the living room, turning around to them. Lindsay tried to avoid eye contact to Danny, knowing he could immediately see what she was thinking. But to her luck Flack was faster.

"Cleaning the kitchen lasted a little long, huh?" he asked. "Or did you talk too much?"

"No," Stella answered quickly. "Lindsay and I decided to go into the city. I remembered that I really needed some new make-up. Mine suffered a bit during our flight. But I bought some new stuff and Lindsay and I have to check if it's good or if I have to bring it back into the shop."

Knowing that this wasn't really the best excuse, Lindsay looked up nervously. She noticed how Danny and Flack shared a quick glance, raising their eyebrows before Flack shrugged.

"Whatever," he replied.

Quietly sighing, Lindsay followed Stella upstairs to the bathroom. Quickly they got inside and locked the door.

"Okay, let's have a look at how those sticks are working," Stella said, opening the first box. Lindsay nodded, leaning back against the sink, closing her eyes to calm herself down. When she opened them again, Stella was already holding the three pregnancy tests in her hands.

"Looks like that's pretty easy," she said, looking up at Lindsay. Offering the three sticks to her, she added, "You just have to pie on them and then we have to wait five minutes."

"Okay," Lindsay answered, blushing. "But would you please...?"

"Of course," Stella replied, instantly turning around.

A bit later, both women were sitting on the bathroom floor, the three sticks lying in front of them. Neither of them had spoken a word yet. It was Stella who broke the silence.

"What exactly are we hoping for?" she asked.

Lindsay hesitated for a moment. "I'm not sure. I mean...you know how much I want a baby. And Danny wants it as well. But...I'm afraid it's too early."

"But who cares of it's too early?" Stella asked back. "Time doesn't matter when you really want this to happen. You and Danny already have a child and you're planning on having a second one. So why shouldn't you already have it now? Why did you start practicing when you don't want it?"

Sighing deeply, Lindsay shrugged. "I know, it's stupid. Maybe it's just...I'm afraid. I'm afraid, Stella. What if..."

"What? Lindsay, you already have practice as a mother. You're a great mother for Jesse. You'll be able to handle a baby as well. And if you ever need something, you don't have just Danny but me as well. Linds, I'll always be there to support you and to help you. And if you need me to tell Danny and to go shopping for baby stuff and whatever else, I'm here. Always. You and Danny, you're such a sweet and great working family. You don't have to be afraid. Everything'll be alright, believe me."

Listening to Stella, Lindsay's fear indeed started to shrink. Deep inside she knew that her friend was right. Danny would be happy. And actually she'd be happy as well. Of course she was scared, but she was not alone.

Throwing a short glance at her watch, Stella released a sigh. "Okay, five minutes are over. Let's see what the pregnancy tests want to tell us."


	37. Yes or no?

**A/N: Wow! Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm so glad you still like this story. Here's the next chapter. :)**

"What is it?" Lindsay asked, nervously watching Stella who picked the sticks up.

Stella looked at them, not the slightest bit of emotions on her face, causing Lindsay's heart to beat even faster. Yes or no? What would she say?

"You're not pregnant," Stella said after a short moment of silence. "All three are showing the same."

"Really?" Lindsay asked. When Stella nodded, her first excited mood instantly changed.

Of course there had been the possibility that everything was just a false alert; that was what she had tried to tell Stella as well. But somehow Lindsay had also started to believe her best friend; everything looked like she was indeed pregnant. And the longer she had thought about it, the more she had started to like the idea. Knowing that her expectations had been wrong was hurting now.

"Are you okay?" Stella asked.

Lindsay nodded, swallowing hard. "Yeah, sure. I mean, the chances were 50 to 50, right? It's just...it's just that although I was a little shocked...it would have been so nice, Stella. I want a baby so much, despite my telling that I want to wait. I...I wish it would have worked already."

Sad she looked up to her friend, surprised noticing how suddenly a smile lit Stella's face.

"Then you're really lucky," she said, confusing Lindsay even more.

"What?" she asked. "What are you talking about? How...how can I be happy when you just told me I'm not pregnant although I wish I was."

Smiling even more Stella answered, "Because I lied. You are pregnant, Lindsay."

Hearing what her friend was just telling her, Lindsay couldn't help but stare back at her for a moment. What? What had Stella just said? Was she dreaming now?

"I'm...that means I'm..." she stammered, causing Stella to laughed.

"Yes, Linds," she said. "You're pregnant. Look." With that she handed the three little sticks over to Lindsay. "Look what they're showing. Everywhere is a plus symbol. If you want I could also read you the description if you don't believe me."

But Lindsay didn't need to read or hear the description. Seeing the three little symbols on the pregnancy test was enough.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered, feeling how the first tears started to rise in her eyes.

"Yes, you are," Stella replied quietly. Watching her friend staring at the three little sticks in awe, she felt tears rising in her eyes as well. Of course she had always known how much Lindsay had wanted to have a baby with Danny. She had seen it in her eyes when she had told her about that for the first time. She had seen it in her eyes when they had seen the woman with her baby in front of the wedding shop.

Yes, Stella had never doubted that Lindsay was ready for getting pregnant. So it was no surprise that she had been confused by her friend's sudden insecurity first. But knowing Lindsay like her sister, Stella had quickly found the reason for that out; her friend had been ready but hadn't expected to become pregnant in reality that fast. This was the only reason why she had kept on worrying instead of being excited. But this had nothing to do with her wish to become a mother. All Lindsay needed was a little wake up call.

"Do you know how dangerous that was?" Lindsay said into the silence, looking at Stella with tearful eyes but a smile as well. "I mean...what if..."

Stella chuckled, gently stroking over her best friend's cheek. "Kiddo, I know you, okay? And what works on TV works in real life as well, right? I knew you'd realize that you are ready. Your only problem is that you worry too easily. And you see- I was successful."

Finally laughing as well, Lindsay nodded. "Yes. I was pretty stupid, wasn't I? I mean, first I tell you how much I want a baby and then, when it could be possible that I am already pregnant, I freak out, although it shouldn't be such a surprise because I stopped taking the pill. Weird, isn't it?"

"We all are acting a little weird sometimes," Stella replied, smiling. "So how do you feel now? Are you happy? Or still a little shocked? Or what are you feeling?"

"Oh, I'm feeling a lot," Lindsay answered, taking a deep breath to calm herself down a little bit more. "I'm...I'm totally excited. And nervous. But mostly I'm incredibly happy. Stella, I...I'm expecting a baby!"

"I know," Stella said laughing, amused by the mix of disbelief and pure joy in her best friend's eyes. Moving over to her, Stella pulled her into her arms, embracing her tightly. When she pulled back again, she quickly tried to wipe the first falling tears away. "I'm so happy for you two."

"So am I," Lindsay replied, fighting with her own tears. Those news, although she should have expected them earlier or later, were almost overwhelming.

"And what are you going to do now?" Stella wanted to know. "I mean, three pregnancy tests are a clear statement. What are you going to do now? Will you tell Danny about it before or after the wedding? And what about the others?"

Lindsay needed a moment to think about an answer for that question. What was she going to do now? She and Stella couldn't stay in the bathroom for the rest of the holidays.

"I'm not sure what to do to be honest," she answered then. "Actually it'd be a great surprise for Danny. When we decided to...well, to start practicing already, we were expecting that after the wedding or a bit later I'd get pregnant. It would be such a nice wedding present."

"That's true," Stella agreed. "I think you should do it like that then. Tell him after all the stress is over and after the wedding."

"But how am I going to hide a pregnancy in front of a man who can read my mind?" Lindsay asked back, half joking, half serious.

"Don't worry about that. I'll help you to cover it," Stella answered. "Don't worry, we'll managed to keep it a secret. And if he finds out anyway, it was worth a try."

"Okay, I think you're right with that." Lindsay paused for a moment before she added, "Stella, did I ever tell you how grateful I am that I met you? You...you're not just my friend, my best friend. You've really become something like a sister to me. I know I can always count on you. Thank you for that."

"I can only give that back to you," Stella replied, blushing. With this statement she agreed to one hundred percent. The connection they had was like they were indeed sisters. Stella was grateful for this closeness; she knew she could always come to Lindsay and she was determined to always be there for her as well. "So what do you say? Can we go in there again? If I were you I'd also take the pregnancy tests with you if you don't want anyone to discover them. I'm sure at least Jesse would see them the moment he enters the bathroom. The boy should join the scouts."

Laughing, Lindsay nodded. Jesse had a talent to find everything; that was the main reason why presents for him had to be hidden at a friend's place till the day he was supposed to receive them.

"Okay, let's get out here," she said then, taking a deep breath and standing up. "I just hope we're not too obvious."

Another moment later, the two women left the bathroom again. Both hesitated, checking on each other if they weren't grinning too much. Then they headed downstairs again.

"Whoa, who would have thought trying make-up would last that long," Flack instantly teased the moment Lindsay and Stella entered the living room again. "And? Can you keep it or do you have to give it back?"

"I can keep it," Stella replied, already wondering if Flack would notice there was no difference between her old and 'new' make-up.

Danny, who had watched the two women, mainly Lindsay, as well, didn't say a word. The moment he had laid eyes on his fiancee, he knew that Stella's excuse had been nothing else than that- an excuse. There was no way those two had been up there to try make-up; for Danny Lindsay's eyes were saying more than words. They had been up there for doing something else, something that was supposed to be kept a secret. He even had a suspicion what that could have been and this suspicion instantly made his heart beating faster of excitement.


	38. Suspicions

**A/N. Wow, thank you so much for reviewing!! Thank you!! Here's the next chapter for you. Enjoy!!**

Of course Danny couldn't know for sure what exactly Lindsay and Stella had been doing upstairs in the bathroom, but he had a suspicion. He didn't really know where this suspicion was suddenly coming from, but something in his fiancee's face made this idea pop into his mind.

Was Lindsay pregnant? He couldn't know that for sure. Not without asking her, not without seeing a pregnancy test or going to a doctor with her. But there were many hints that told him he could be right; like her sleepiness or the fact that she seemed to be hungry all the time. She also seemed to feel dizzy or even sick sometimes. He knew she had stopped taking the pill. Actually she had told him that it'd last around three months until she might get pregnant, but who knew if nature had other plans?

But although asking her was the easiest way to find out if he was right, Danny refused doing it. For some reason it looked like she wasn't planning on talking to him about that yet. If Stella and her had been up there to do a pregnancy test, there was also the opportunity that she wasn't pregnant, but her eyes were rather telling him the opposite.

Danny didn't know why Lindsay, if she was pregnant like he expected her to be, instantly came to him and told him about it. Maybe she was unsure? Or maybe she wanted to surprise him? Or maybe both? He decided to carefully try to find it out later. Hopefully he'd be able to control his own excitement long enough.

And so he just smiled at her when she joined him on the couch and said, "Jesse wasn't really pleased that I told him to have a nap, but obviously the flight exhausted him more than he thought. Maybe we should let him fly across the country more often if he refuses falling asleep again."

Lindsay chuckled, nodding. And, like Danny had expected, he saw how the expression on her face became more relieved. Knowing her like himself, Danny could imagine that she had been afraid he'd start asking questions. But he if his suspicion was right, he didn't want to come straight to the point, especially not as long as he didn't know why exactly Lindsay kept whatever she knew as a secret.

"Oh, Lindsay," Flack said then. "When will your brother arrive again?"

"He said he'd visit us in the evening," she answered.

"Oh, really?" A huge grin lit Flack's face when he turned to look at Danny. "That means only a few more hours. What about you, Danny? Aren't you nervous to meet Lindsay's big brother?"

Rolling his eyes at his friend's attempt at teasing him again, Danny sighed. "Why should I? I could please her parents, why not her brother?"

"Because the big brothers are the worst," Flack shot back, grinning even more.

"Maybe, but you know what's even worse than big brothers?" Stella interfered. When Flack gave her a questioning look, she explained, "Girlfriends. And if you don't stop scaring your best friend now, you'll get serious problems with yours."

Raising his eyebrows at Stella, Flack shook his head. "You don't seriously think I'm afraid of you?" he asked.

"Don't play the hero," Stella shot back. "If I could even scare you with toy dinosaurs, I'm sure I could come up with something that's even worse. Believe me."

"Toy dinosaurs?" Lindsay asked confused.

"Don't ask," Danny replied, slightly smirking when he remembered how Flack had tried to scare Stella with one of Jesse's toys but in the end had been the victim himself.

"Whatever," Lindsay said then. "But you aren't really scared of meeting my brother, right?"

Danny shrugged. "Not much. A little of course, I mean, I don't know him, right? But I don't think he'll hate me."

"Of course he won't hate you," Lindsay answered, smiling. "No one could do that."

The four remained sitting in the living room for a little longer, talking. It was late in the afternoon when Jesse woke up again. The boy hadn't even arrived in the living room yet, when he already had a question.

"Can I go to the cows now?" he asked.

"What, already?" Danny asked back. "Jesse, you just woke up."

"And?" the little boy asked back.

"Don't you want to wait a little?"

"No!" Jesse shouted determined. "I want to see them now, please! I never could play with real cows before. Please, Daddy! You promised I can play there after the nap."

Sighing, Danny looked at Lindsay to get her opinion. The smile she gave him already said more than words.

"Don't you think we should go to the stables later?" he asked. But Lindsay shook her head.

"Why? You promised it," she answered, winking at him. "But do me a favour. Go with him, okay? I don't want him to go to the cows on his own. My Dad should be there, but anyway."

"And you think it's saver if Danny goes with him?" Flack asked. Looking at him, Lindsay grinned even more.

"Oh, not only Danny will go with Jesse. You will as well," she said.

"But..."

"No but," Stella interrupted him. "What else do you want to do all day? Sitting here, doing nothing? Of course you could also help Lindsay and me with cleaning the house and preparing dinner."

Groaning, Flack already got up from the couch. "Okay, okay. Then let's have a look at those cows."

While Jesse instantly rushed to the front door, Danny, like Flack not really happy, got us as well. After the two men had left, Stella turned her full attention to Lindsay again.

"And, what do you say?" she asked. "I don't think he knows anything."

Lindsay shrugged lightly. "I'm not sure, to be honest. He gave me this look again. Like he knows something. I'm not sure that whatever he thinks is right, but...well, I know him."

"We'll see," Stella replied. "At least it was worth a try."

While the two women got up to clean up the house, which already looked like a mess although they had just arrived in the morning, Danny and Flack followed Jesse to the stables. Knowing his friend for so many years, Flack had already noticed that once again something was bothering Danny. And, like always, he didn't start talking on his own. So Flack knew that it was him who'd have to start a conversation again.

"Alright, Danny," he said, making sure they were far away enough from Jesse so that the little boy couldn't listen to them. "I don't know when you'll ever learn it, but what's going on? Do you really think I don't notice something is going on?"

Looking up at Flack, Danny instantly searched for an excuse. But what was he supposed to say? A lie Flack wouldn't believe anyway? No. And- why should he not talk about what he was wondering? Obviously Lindsay had made Stella to her companion, so why couldn't he do the same with Flack?

"I don't believe Stella and Lindsay were trying make-up in the bathroom," he answered then, coming straight to the point.

"What makes you think that?" Flack asked confused.

Danny sighed deeply. "Because...I just know it. I could see it in Lindsay's eyes. It was an excuse, for something else they did up there."

"And what do you think two women might do in a bathroom that they don't want to talk about to us?" Trying to come up with possibilities, Flack got even more confused.

"I don't really know how to explain it," Danny answered.

"Give it a try."

Danny nodded, taking a deep breath. "You know Lindsay and I want to have a baby?" he asked. When Flack nodded, not really understanding what this had to do with Stella and Lindsay in the bathroom yet, Danny explained, "Well, we...we thought that after getting married, we could do it. We could have the second kid. And we decided that...we could already practice a little. That means Lindsay already stopped taking the pill, and according to her, it wouldn't really work in the first three months anyway. But...my guess is that maybe it already worked anyway. I mean, it's nature, you can't say 'three months and then you can get pregnant again'. I'm pretty sure this can happen much quicker. Maybe...maybe she's already pregnant, it would also fit to Lindsay's current behaviour. And I think when Lindsay and Stella were up there, they did a pregnancy test."

Finishing his explanation, Danny looked up at Flack, waiting for his reaction. Flack only stared at him for a couple of moment before he finally spoke.

"Wow," he said stunned. "This is the last I would have expected. Don't you sometimes think you know her a little too well?"

Rolling his eyes, Danny shook his head. "It's not my fault. But I always notice when something is on. Especially when it's something like that. It's like twins telepathy or something."

"It really is," Flack answered, a playful scared expression on his face. "But if they really did a pregnancy test, why didn't they say it?"

Danny shrugged. "I wish I knew. Maybe she's not pregnant, but the way she looked like I really don't think that. I saw the excitement in her eyes, no matter how much she tried to hide it. Maybe she wants to surprise me or something. Or she's unsure. I have really no idea."

"Then why don't you ask her?"

"I was thinking about doing that," Danny answered. "But what if she really wants to surprise me? Then I'd ruin everything."

"That's true," Flack agreed. "Hm, that's really difficult. What are you going to do?"

Again Danny shrugged. "No idea. I think I'll try to at least find out if everything's okay with her. I don't want her to be quiet because she's insecure or something."

Flack nodded. "I think that's a good idea. And you know, if you need me, I'll be there."

"I know," Danny answered, smiling gratefully. "Thanks for that, Don."

He wanted to say more but was interrupted by an impatient Jesse.

"Daddy, Uncle Don, come here finally!" he shouted.

Danny and Flack shared a short glance before they followed the little boy over to the stables. For a brief moment Danny thought about Lindsay's possible pregnancy. Maybe it was true and maybe it was a surprise. He'd just have to be careful when he'd ask her about it.


	39. Meeting James

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing!**

When Danny and Flack reached the stables, Jesse was already standing next to Harry, carefully reaching out to stroke one of the tall animals. Danny was glad to see Lindsay's father as well; if he was honest, he didn't really know how to behave around cows and together with an eight years old child, this could get dangerous.

"Do you have any idea why this kid is so obsessed with animals?" Flack whispered, all the time making sure he kept a clear distance between himself and the cows.

Danny shrugged. "Don't ask me. Maybe because he's not really used to animals. No surprise in a city like New York."

"Well, I'm not used to them either," Flack answered. "But honestly, I'm not interested in changing that."

The two men, Jesse and his grandpa spent almost half an hour in the stables. While Harry took care of Jesse and Flack tried to not get too close to any animal, Danny wasn't really paying attention. Too many thoughts were spinning in his mind at this moment. He needed to find a way to find out what was going on with Lindsay without pushing her. And there was still the meeting with Lindsay's brother; according to her a nice man, but this didn't mean he'd like him.

"Are you alright?" Flack asked Danny after watching his friend for a couple of minutes now, joining him on the box he was sitting on. Trying to ease the situation, he smirked and added, "Don't be afraid, I'll take care of you when James comes and tries to beat you up."

"You're a funny guy, Don," Danny replied, sighing playfully. Looking up at his friend, he could see the supportive gaze Flack was giving him. He knew; no matter which problem he had, Flack was there to help him. It had always been like that and this would never change. For Danny it had never been easy to ask for help; after all he was just not used to it. He was used to solve his problems on his own. With the time he had started to learn that sometimes it was easier to talk, to ask for support.

Another few minutes later, Danny and Flack decided it was about time to get back into the house again. It was already getting late and they could be sure dinner was finished soon. But of course Jesse was not happy about that.

"Why can't you go alone?" he asked, determined to not go with his father this time.

"Because we're going to have dinner soon," Danny answered, first trying to make the boy come with him on his own. "Mommy and Auntie Stella cooked. Do you want them to be disappointed because you don't want to eat?"

"Then tell them I'll come later. I don't have to eat now, I'm not hungry," Jesse replied, already pouting. "And I know you. After dinner I'll have to stay at the house."

"Yeah, of course you'll have to stay at the house," Danny replied. "Because then it'll be dark outside and you won't run around the farm when it's dark, alright? We'll stay here for two weeks. You can spend a lot of time here. Grandpa even told you he'll show you how to ride a horse. But why should he do that when you don't listen to your Daddy and don't come with me so we can have dinner together?"

This time Jesse didn't know what to reply. He knew that if he didn't listen to Danny, this'd have consequences for him. At the beginning he had had it easier with his father; Danny had needed some time to get used to saying 'no' and making rules. Now he didn't have a problem with that; in Jesse's eyes that wasn't nice, but he didn't have a chance.

"That's totally mean, Daddy!" he shouted, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Yep, okay. Then think I'm mean," Danny simply answered. "Now come. And don't start yelling, I don't think the cows like that."

With that he headed to the exit, Flack following him. Wondering if the little boy would really listen or stay at his current position, he threw a short glance backwards, to his surprise noticing that Jesse was indeed following them.

"Wow, that really works," he whispered to his friend. "Although he looks kinda pissed."

"Just let him be pissed," Danny replied. "Do you remember how often your parents pissed you off? When I'll read him a story later, he'll like me again. It's always the same."

"Alright," Flack answered. "And you were the one who said he won't be a good parent? You were kidding me, huh?"

Amused shaking his head, Danny didn't reply to that. Yes, Flack was right. There had been a time at the very beginning where he had wondered if he'd ever manage to be a good father, especially when Jesse had kept on doing what he wanted. It had been hard for him to hear the little boy say that he was mad at him. But he had quickly learnt that this was no attack against him personally. It was a child's reaction; and quickly forgotten again. Now he was more confident about his fatherhood.

But if Danny had hoped that with convincing Jesse to follow him, he could relax now, he quickly learnt he was wrong when he entered the holiday house. He found Stella and Lindsay sitting on the couch, but they were not alone. There was also another man. Danny didn't even need him to say his name, he knew who he was; James Monroe.

"Oh, hey Danny," Lindsay greeted him, smiling at him when she saw his almost shocked look. "Your timing is perfect. James just arrived."

"Uh...yeah. Hey James," Danny greeted, instantly feeling very uncomfortable.

"Hey Danny," James greeted back.

"Well...okay," Stella, who could feel the awkwardness of the situation, said before anyone could say more. "I think Lindsay and I will set the table now." She threw a quick, thoughtful glance at Flack, who luckily understood it.

"Yeah," he said. Looking at Jesse, he added, "You know what, buddy? I think the two of us go upstairs now and give you new clothes. Because it feels like we took a cow with us into the house."

Looking at Flack, Jesse raised his eyebrows. "You're friendly, Uncle Don. Just tell me that I'm stinking."

"Hey, it wasn't me who had to stroke the cows," Flack replied, already leading the little boy towards the stairs. Danny watched the two leaving, shaking his head. Conversations like that were typical for those two.

"Your son seems to love the animals, right?" James said when Danny turned his attention back to him. "No surprise, a farm is different from a zoo."

"Yeah," Danny agreed, nodding. "That's true." Then he was silent again. Like before when he had had to talk to Harry, he felt kind of nervous, almost frightened now. Sure, he was not alone but this didn't change that he was afraid to screw up.

"My Dad already told me how nervous you are about meeting the family," James broke the silence, like the rest of his family coming straight to the point. "But why? If you're a nice guy, you shouldn't worry about anything."

Danny shrugged. "Maybe it's just because I'm not used to any family meetings. It's the first time I get the chance to talk to my girlfriend's family."

"That's okay," James replied, giving his future brother-in-law a supportive smile; something everyone in this family seemed to be used to do. "According to my sister, you're the perfect man for her and I think I can believe her. All I want you to do is to make her happy."

"That's what I was planning on doing anyway," Danny answered, relieved smiling back. And again he noticed that meeting Lindsay's family was the complete opposite of what he had it expected to be. They were all friendly and open to him. But what else had he expected of the family of his great love?

A few minutes later, the table was set and the whole family was sitting around it, enjoying what Stella and Lindsay had cooked for them. Now, after talking to every member of her family, Danny felt much better. At least he didn't have to be afraid that he couldn't please them, that they'd even have something against him. Now he could concentrate on finding out if the two of them were really going to have a baby.


	40. I know you

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

It was late in the evening when James left and headed over to his parents house to greet them as well. After putting Jesse into his bed, Danny and Lindsay decided to go into their own bedroom as well. Lindsay didn't talk much; she was still overwhelmed by all that had happened during this day. They had arrived in Montana, her friends had seen her parents for the first time, Danny had met her brother and, even more important, she had found out she was pregnant.

But until now she hadn't said a single word to Danny about that. Not because she was afraid or something. No, she and Stella had agreed that it'd be a perfect surprise. And so she wanted to hide it until they'd gotten married. Then she'd tell him about it. And she could hardly wait to see his reaction.

Being with him in their bedroom, Lindsay suddenly felt nervous. There was something, a tension, that confused her a little. She didn't really know how to describe it, but combined with the looks he was giving her, it was strange. A sudden idea hit her; was it possible that maybe he knew something? Did he have a suspicion? Or was it something else? It rarely happened that Lindsay didn't exactly know what Danny was thinking, but this was one of those moments.

She tried to ignore the situation but wasn't really successful; her curiosity was becoming almost unbearable. Sighing lightly, she climbed into her bed, watching Danny changing into his sleeping clothes before he joined her. They lay next to each other in silence for another few minutes, before Lindsay released another, louder sigh.

"Danny, what is going on here?" she asked, looking at him.

Danny remained lying on his back, staring towards the ceiling, but she noticed a tiny smile tearing at the corners of his mouth.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he answered, desperately trying to hide that there was indeed something going on.

"Funny, Messer," Lindsay shot back, reaching over to him to pull him on his side so he was facing her. "You're silent all the time and you're looking at me."

Chuckling, Danny answered, "Since when do you have a problem with me looking at you?"

"I don't have a problem with that, but you're giving me those weird glances. Like you're thinking about something all the time and don't know how to say it. What's going on?"

"You're very curious, Montana," Danny only replied.

As much as he actually wanted to ask his fiancee what he wanted to know, he couldn't help but tease her a little.

"Yes, I am; another thing we have in common," she answered, rolling her eyes. "So what do you want?"

She didn't really know why, but the longer he avoided answering and the longer he continued giving her those strange looks and half smiles, she got impatient. Deep inside she could feel that something was up, and somehow she couldn't help the thought that maybe this might have to do with her little secret.

"You look tired, sweetie," Danny said then, gently brushing one of her curls out of her face, giving her a little smile. "It was a hard day, right?"

"Yes, pretty exhausting," Lindsay answered, still confused by him. "For all of us."

"Yep, for all of us," Danny replied.

Briefly he remained looking at her before he moved closer to her, placing a gentle kiss onto her cheek. "I'm sorry I confused you with looking at you all the time, maybe it's just because it was a long day."

With that he lay down next to her, pulling her a little closer. The moment Lindsay felt him resting his hand on her stomach, she almost jumped.

"I love you, sweetie," he whispered into her ear, kissing her again.

"I love you, too," she whispered back.

Her eyes wandered downwards to where his hand was still resting on her stomach, for some reason causing her heart to beat faster.

"I can't wait till we're married," Danny said after another few minutes of silence and simply lying next to each other. "And then we're going to have a baby. I'm already so excited."

Listening to what he was saying, combined with the way he was acting, Lindsay realised more and more that obviously her suspicion was right. He knew something. He had to know something. She knew him good enough, right?

Sighing again, she turned her head around to him, seeing he was watching her. "You know it, don't you?" she asked.

Slightly raising his eyebrows, Danny pretended like he didn't know what she was talking about. "What do you mean?"

"Danny, come on, let's not play games, I'm too tired for that," she replied. "You know it, don't you? That I'm..."

"...pregnant?" he completed her sentence. When she only stared back at him, he smiled again, nodding. "Yep, I know that."

"Oh, great," Lindsay groaned lightly. "And I wanted to surprise you with that. I should have known that wouldn't work. But that you'd find it out that quickly..."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he answered, giving her an excusing smile. "I didn't want to ruin your surprise, really. Actually I didn't even want to say anything. But...well, I wasn't sure if you didn't talk to me because you wanted to surprise me or because...I don't know. Maybe some other reason. I was nervous that maybe you were afraid to tell me."

"Of course I'm not afraid," she replied quickly. "Really. Although I was a little shocked first. Don't ask me why, I should have known it could also work immediately and not after three months like I was actually told." She paused for a moment before she added, "You knew it all the time, right? Since Stella and I left the bathroom."

Smirking at her, Danny nodded. "Shows how good we know each other. We can't hide anything. I think that's a good thing, to be honest."

"Yes, that's true."

Of course he was right. Lindsay was glad that the two of them knew each other that good. In many relationships misunderstandings happened because the partners weren't able to communicate. This problem they'd never have.

"So...it looks like the baby was faster than us, huh?" she said then, looking up at him.

"Who cares?" was Danny's brief reply. "For me the time you'd get pregnant never mattered. The sooner the better." Gently stroking over her still flat stomach, he gave her a smile that instantly warmed her heart. "I know you wanted to surprise me, but I don't think I could have been any happier than I'm now." And with the first tears in his eyes, he added, "Lindsay, we're going to have a baby."

"Yes, I know," she whispered back, feeling tears rising in her eyes as well. "I know."

Lindsay wanted to say more, but Danny was faster. Quickly he rolled her onto her back so he was almost lying on top of her. Giving her another long look, he bent down to her and kissed her, deeply and lovingly. Feeling all the emotions that he put into this kiss, she knew he was right; no matter if she had told him now or after the wedding, his reaction would have been the same- he was incredibly happy, just like her. They were going to have a baby. Their little family was growing more and more.


	41. Who'll find out next?

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing! You know how much I love getting reviews! ;) So, Danny knows that Lindsay is pregnant now, and Flack and Stella know as well. Who'll find out next?**

When Lindsay woke up the next morning, she didn't need a second to remember what had happened the day before. Not just that she was in Montana now, with the people she loved the most. No. She and Danny were going to have a baby; something she still needed to understand was true.

Opening her eyes, she found herself staring straight into Danny's. The smile, that was already playing around her lips, widened even more.

"Hey," she greeted, reaching up to him to gently stroke through his short hair. "Good morning."

"Good morning, sweetie," he replied quietly, bending down to her to kiss her.

"How long are you already awake?" she wanted to know. He shrugged.

"No idea. Around half an hour or so. Maybe a bit longer."

"What?" Surprised Lindsay raised her eyebrows. "You're lying here awake for half an hour and stare at me? You're creepy."

Chuckling, Danny placed another soft kiss onto her lips. "No, I'm not. I just didn't want to wake you up. You were smiling all the time, even asleep. You looked so sweet." Kissing her again, he added, "And I used the time for some thinking."

"Some thinking?" she asked, for a moment feeling slightly nervous. And like always, Danny seemed to sense it.

"No second thoughts or something," he said quickly. "But there's a lot we have to think about now. Like do we want to tell the others? Or Jesse? And...I don't know. I mean, okay, I already have a son, but...I never had a baby, you know?"

Lindsay nodded, smiling even more. "It's an incredible experience, right?"

"It is, believe me," Danny replied, kissing her again.

Both were still overwhelmed by all that had happened during the last day. Everything between them happened very quickly; so actually it was no surprise they already had a baby on the way. Lindsay could clearly remember the moment when she had felt the wish for an own baby for the very first time. Then she had talked to Stella, had decided that having a second child would indeed be a good idea. Now she was pregnant, and it was even more amazing than she had ever dared to expect it. Feeling Danny's hand resting on her flat belly, she smiled against his lips, instinctively snuggling closer against him.

"So, who are we going to tell first?" Danny wanted to know after breaking apart when the need for oxygen became too much. "And when?"

Lindsay shrugged. "No idea. Stella already knows I'm pregnant, and from how I know you, Don knows it as well. Maybe we could wait till the wedding to tell the others. Like I actually planned on doing with you."

"I think I like that idea," Danny agreed with her. He wanted to add more, but another noise suddenly caught his attention. A noise coming from the bedroom door. Both looked up, just to see it was opened slightly. With huge eyes, they shared a quick glance before Danny jumped out of bed and headed over to the door. Opening it, he found who he had expected there; Jesse.

"Oh, hello Daddy," the little boy greeted, smiling up at his father.

"What did I tell you about opening Mommy's and Daddy's bedroom door without knocking?" Danny asked.

"It's not allowed," Jesse replied. "But I didn't want to come in. I thought it's...the bathroom."

"And what did I tell you about lying?"

"I didn't lie!" the little boy tried to contradict, but without success.

"Jesse?" Danny asked, a slight warning in his voice.

"Sorry," the little boy answered, blushing. "But...I heard you say my name."

Quickly Danny glanced over to Lindsay, who was a little pale at this point. Then he looked back at his son, gently pulling him into the bedroom before he closed the door.

"What else did you hear?" he wanted to know.

A huge smile spread over Jesse's face when he answered. "That I'm going to have a baby brother or baby sister!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, what else did I expect," Danny sighed.

Without paying attention to what his father was saying, Jesse jumped onto the bed and crawled over to Lindsay, who was smiling at him. She didn't really know why, but somehow she had already expected that their son would be the next one to find out.

"Are you happy about a baby sibling?" she asked.

Jesse nodded excited. "Yes! A friend of mine from school has one as well. He's so cute, and so little. But he's not allowed to hold him, because his parents are afraid he could drop the baby." Pausing for a moment, he added, "May I hold the baby when it's born? I won't drop it. I always catch balls as well."

Chuckling at Jesse comparing the baby with a ball, Lindsay nodded. "We'll see. But you'll have to wait a few months before the baby will be born."

"Never mind," Jesse only replied. He threw a short glance at Lindsay's belly before he looked up at his mother again, still hesitating. Knowing what he was thinking about, she gave him a supportive smile.

"Don't be afraid," she said.

Jesse nodded, carefully crawling a little closer. Then he rested his small hand onto her belly, carefully stroking.

"Do you think it call feel that?" he asked excited.

"I don't know, sweetie. I think it's still a bit early," Lindsay replied.

Jesse nodded, again moving a little closer. "Hey baby," he said then. "It's me, Jesse, your brother. I know, you're still small, but it doesn't matter. I can't wait for you to be born."

Listening to the happiness of her son and seeing his amazed expression, Lindsay could feel first tears rising in her eyes. She looked up at Danny, who was standing next to the bedroom door, watching his fiancee and their son all the time. The way he looked at her seemed to mirror her own gaze perfectly. They were happy, more than ever before.

-------

Meanwhile, Stella was lying on her side, watching the man next to her, who pretended to be asleep.

"Come on, Don, I know you're awake," she said once again, shaking him lightly. She noticed a smile tearing at the corners of his mouth, showing he was hardly able to control himself.

Playfully rolling her eyes, Stella moved over to the edge of the bed, sighing. "Okay, if you don't want to wake up, I'll go now. It's kinda boring here with you asleep."

But before she could even get up, she felt two strong arms wrapping around her, pulling her back into the bed.

"Nowhere you'll go," Flack answered, kissing her onto the cheek. "You'll stay here with me."

"Okay, okay," Stella replied, laughing, kissing him back.

They lay like this for a couple of minutes, just kissing, neither of them saying a word. All they could hear were some noises coming from the room next door. Laughter.

"I still can't believe it," Stella said after a while.

"Can't believe what?" Flack wanted to know.

"That they're really already going to have a baby," she answered. "I don't know, it's just incredibly amazing. I'm so happy for them."

"Yeah, me, too," he agreed. "And if someone is able to be great parents for Jesse and a baby, it's our Danny and Lindsay."

"Definitely," Stella agreed. And while she kept on kissing Flack, she couldn't help her thoughts drifting away. Since the two of them had become such an important part to Danny's and Lindsay's family, she had caught herself more than once by noticing how much she enjoyed to see them like that. And how much she started to wish for such a family as well.


	42. Fishing

**A/N: Aww, thank you so much for your sweet reviews! I'm happy you liked the scene with Jesse. And- what's going on with Flack and Stella? Here's the next chapter for you! Enjoy!**

"Daddy, what are we going to do today?" Jesse asked, this time already for what had to be the twentieth time, causing his father to role his eyes at his son.

"Jesse, for the record, we didn't decide yet," Danny answered. "Why don't you finish eating your breakfast first?"

"Because I want to know what we're going to do today," the little boy answered simply, taking a huge bit from his toast. With his mouth full of food, he turned to Flack, sitting across of him, and asked, "Uncle Don, what are you and Auntie Stella going to do today?"

"Jesse, don't speak with your mouth full of food, okay?" Lindsay answered instead.

Groaning lightly, Jesse hurried to swallow the offending breakfast before he repeated his question again.

"No idea yet," Flack replied. "But your Uncle James told me that he has some plans what we could do. Maybe you should ask him. He's our guide, so to speak."

"Oh great, I will do that," Jesse answered quickly, already getting up from his chair. But Danny managed to grab his arm, keeping him in place.

"What do you see when you're looking at your plate?" he asked.

Throwing a short glance at his plate, Jesse looked at his father again. "Toast. Why?"

"Don't you think that there shouldn't be any food on it anymore when you go to Uncle James?" Danny wanted to know.

"Oh, Daddy," Jesse complained, climbing back onto his chair. But he knew; contradicting wouldn't help him and so he sat down again and finished breakfast.

After breakfast, the five cleaned up the kitchen and then decided to go over to the Monroe's farm together. While Danny and Flack took care of the excited little boy, Stella used the opportunity to have a little talk to Lindsay.

"Don knows about the baby," she said quietly.

"No surprise," Lindsay replied, smiling. "Like I expected it, Danny found it out himself. Immediately. He knows we're going to have a baby."

"And how did he react? You did already talk about it, right?" Stella asked.

Lindsay nodded. "Yes. And he's happy. I should have known he'd react that way."

Stella laughed. "Of course. But I can understand you anyway." She paused for a moment before she added, "So, who else are you going to tell? Or do you want to surprise the rest?"

"I think we're going to surprise them," Lindsay answered. "Danny and I already told Jesse to not talk about the baby. Luckily the boy is great with keeping secrets."

"Okay," Stella replied. "I also told Don to not talk about it. I think it'll be hard for him, but he knows he'll get himself into problems if he opens his mouth."

"Good to know," Lindsay replied laughing.

The five hadn't even reached the house yet, when James already left the farm to greet them.

"Hey," he said. "Nice you're coming to visit us. I was wondering if you have already plans for today?"

"That's why we're here," Lindsay said, smiling at her brother. She knew how much he loved playing guide for visitors. Especially when those visitors belonged to the family.

"Great," James said, grinning even more. "What a nice coincidence I already came up with something for today."

"Oh, what is it?" Jesse asked excited. "We'll go and see bears? Pretty please, Uncle James."

Flack, who instantly became a frightened expression at the word 'bear', looked at the little boy. "I'm pretty sure you'll change your mind if you actually see a wild bear, without being in a cage or behind a thick glass wall."

"But they're cute," Jesse contradicted.

"Not when they're eating you," Flack shot back.

"Huh, no. Mommy, a bear wouldn't eat me, right?" Jesse asked, giving his mother a questioning look. But all Lindsay could do, was giving him an excusing smile.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," she answered. "But Uncle Don is right. It's much saver to watch a bear at the zoo."

"Oh," the little boy said disappointed, but before he could add more, James had already another suggestion.

"Have you ever gone fishing before, Jesse?" he asked. When he shook his head, James added, "Then that's what we're going to do today. We're going to go fishing."

"Fishing?" Flack asked, not the slightest bit impressed. "You mean where you're sitting on a chair for hours, doing nothing but waiting for a fish to come by and think 'hey, let's let this guy catch me'?"

James laughed. "Yeah, exactly. That's what we're going to do."

"And it'll be so cool," Jesse exclaimed. "I never did that, and it always looks so funny when you see people fishing on TV."

"But that means you have to be super quiet all the time, otherwise you'll scare them away," Danny told his son.

"Oh, that's no problem," Jesse answered.

Lindsay didn't respond anything. Sometimes watching was already amusing enough. Jesse was so easy to excite while Flack was so easy to scare. To her surprise Danny hadn't contradicted yet, although she was pretty sure that fishing wouldn't be interesting for him either. But the look he gave her, already said more than words. Once again he was doing it for her; something that never failed to warm her heart.

Around an hour later, the five and James arrived at the river he had chosen for them. The moment they had left the car, Jesse already ran over to the water, Danny following him quickly to prevent the excited little boy from falling straight into the water. After a short introduction to the basics of fishing, the three man and Jesse sat down near the river.

"What about you, Stella?" Flack shouted over to her. "Don't you want to give it a try?"

"Later maybe," she shouted back. After her boyfriend had turned around again, she whispered to Lindsay, "To be honest, I'm not a fan of killing innocent animals, no matter if it's a cow or a fish."

Lindsay chuckled. "I don't think Danny and Don will like to do that either."

Leaning back in her chair, she continued watching the others. After around ten minutes, she turned over to Stella, noticing that her friend seemed to be deep in her thoughts. For a moment she wondered if she should just stay quiet, but knowing how similar her friend was to her, she thought that maybe it was better to ask her if something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Stella, snapping back into reality, looked at her.

"Oh...sure. I was just thinking," she answered. But that was no answer that satisfied Lindsay; seeing the expression in her best friend's eyes and hearing the almost insecure tone in her voice, she knew there was much more behind that.

"Come on, Stella," Lindsay said. "I always talked to you, right? I think you should know you can always talk to me as well."

Sighing deeply, Stella gave her a little smile. "So that's how you felt when I continued questioning you, huh?"

Lindsay chuckled. "Yes. So, what's going on?"

"Hm, nothing actually. At least nothing bad," Stella started. She hesitated for a moment, thinking about the right words, before she continued, "Well, it's just...I always feel a little...strange when I'm watching you, together with Danny and with Jesse. When I see you, as a happy family. And now you're going to have a second baby and you'll marry soon. It's so wonderful, and I'm so happy for you..."

Her voice trailed off again, but Lindsay already knew what was going on in her best friend's mind.

"And you want that, too, right?" she asked. When Stella nodded, blushing lightly, she added, "But where's the problem? You're together with Don, you love each other."

"Of course. But...isn't it too early to think about...marrying and having kids?" Stella wanted to know.

Raising her eyebrows, Lindsay shook her head. "You ask me, the one who moved in with Danny, adopted Jesse, said 'yes' to his proposal and is pregnant now after record time if it's too early? Stella, it never is too early when you know you want to be together with this man forever and when you're ready for creating a family."

Stella needed a moment before she nodded, smiling. "It's funny that we switched roles now," she said. "Now it's you who's giving me advices."

Lindsay laughed. "Yeah. But it's a nice change." She paused for a moment before she continued, "Stella, if I were you, I'd listen to your instinct, okay?"

Again Stella nodded. "I know. That's what I'll do. Thank you, Lindsay."

"No problem."

With that the two were silent again, watching the others. Lindsay couldn't help but smile all the time. She knew how happy she was with Danny. And she wished nothing more than her best friends experiencing the same.


	43. It's not easy all the time

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone for reading and reviewing!**

"Daddy, carry me please," Jesse pleaded. "I can't walk anymore. I can't even get up from my seat."

"Oh, come on, buddy," Danny, who had just gotten out of the car and had opened the door at his son's side, said. "What did you do? You sat near a river and waited for us to fish. That's all."

"But that was exhausting as well," Jesse pouted.

Lindsay, who was watching this very typical situation between her fiancé and son, chuckled. Yes, they hadn't done much more than sitting at the river, while James had shown Danny and Flack how to fish. But they had spent hours there, and now it was getting close to evening and if she was honest, Lindsay couldn't deny she was tired as well.

"Daddy, carry me or I'll stay in the car," Jesse threatened this time, a determined expression in his eyes.

"Oh yeah? You're going to stay here?" Danny asked back, playfully raising his eyebrows. "Means you won't go and eat with us and also won't eat more of the great sausages we had this midday? And it also means you want to sleep here, in the cold car? Okay, then stay here."

With that he turned around to leave. Groaning, Jesse finally unbuckled his seatbelt.

"You're totally mean, Daddy!" he shouted.

"Yes, I know," Danny simply replied, without even turning back. And he didn't need to; Jesse already followed his parents and Stella and Flack willingly over to the holiday house.

But only a few minutes later, Danny started to change his mind over Jesse's behaviour. The little boy didn't just seem to really feel tired, he also was unusually quiet; quieter than usual when he was exhausted.

"What's going on with Jesse?" Lindsay, who had also seen the change in her son's behaviour, asked Danny quietly while they were setting the table for dinner. Jesse was lying on the couch, totally ignoring the TV and his toys, simply staring at some random spot in front of him.

"I'm not sure," Danny replied honestly. "He never acts like that, even when he's tired." He walked over to the couch, kneeling down next to the little boy, who barely looked up at him.

"Hey buddy, what's wrong?" he asked.

Jesse just shrugged, rubbing his hands over his eyes.

"No idea?" Gently Danny drew his hand through his son's short hair, but then hesitated. Lindsay, who had watched them, noticed the change of expression in her fiance's eyes and came over to him.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly.

"Come, give me your hand," Danny answered instead, taking one of her hands. "Maybe I'm wrong, but I have the feeling he feels kinda hot."

Gently Lindsay rested her hand on Jesse's forehead. While Jesse closed his eyes at the cold of her hand, her eyes widened at the realisation that Danny was right.

"Can you go get the thermometer?" Danny asked. "I'm going to bring him upstairs, okay?"

Lindsay only nodded at that, already getting up to head upstairs. Carefully Danny picked the little boy up to carry him upstairs, this time without having to fight with him.

Stella and Flack, who had noticed what was going on, watched their two best friends.

"Do you think we should ask them if we can help?" Flack asked. But Stella shook her head.

"Let them. I don't think we can really do anything anyway," she answered. "We better take care of dinner so it's finished when they're coming downstairs again."

Flack nodded in agreement. "Okay. Looks like that's the not so nice part of having kids. When they're getting sick."

"Yes," Stella agreed, instantly remembering the talk she and Lindsay had had earlier. "It can get really hard and exhausting. But...having a family has more good sides than bad sides, I'd say."

"That I agree with," Flack replied, already heading back into the kitchen. He didn't see the smile that spread over Stella's face at his agreement. Knowing he had this kind of opinion about families was already a good start.

Meanwhile Danny had brought Jesse up into his bedroom, had removed his clothes and put him into his bed. Lindsay had just taken his temperature, noticing that they hadn't just imagined that he felt hotter than usual.

"Are you in pain, sweetie?" she asked, all the time gently stroking through his short hair. "Does something hurt?"

Jesse shook his head. "Just tired. And freezing."

With that he wrapped his blanket tighter around himself, already closing his eyes. Seeing the little boy like that, Lindsay's heart ached. Until now she had never seen him feeling bad, and all she wanted to do was making him feel better again.

"Shouldn't we take him to a doctor?" she asked concerned. But Danny shook his head.

"We should wait," he said. "We can give him something against the temperature and wait and see how he feels tomorrow morning. If the temperature is still high, we'll take him to a doctor, okay?"

Lindsay nodded. Carefully she moved closer to her son. "Looks like he's fallen asleep."

"That's good. Then let's leave him here," Danny whispered, gently taking her hand to pull her with him.

"But...can't we stay here?" Lindsay asked, almost pleading. "I don't want to leave him alone now."

"Lindsay, you don't have to worry," he explained. "Really. I don't think he is sick or anything. He already had that once. The temperature was gone the next morning already. This can also be caused by stress. And look, first the flight, then all the exciting impressions here, the news with the baby... That was a little too much for him."

"I hope you're right," she replied. Sighing, she got up. "It's just not nice to see him like that. It'll drive me crazy when our kids will be sick more often."

"You'll learn to live with that," Danny answered and with that gently guided her out of the room.

And like he had said; Jesse's temperature was already gone a few hours later. When they checked on him before going to bed, the temperature was normal again, the little boy deep and peacefully asleep. With one look Danny saw how relieved Lindsay was. He could totally understand her. When the little boy had felt sick for the first time, he had almost freaked out. Now he knew that mostly things were never as bad as they looked like. He knew she'd learn that soon. And they had one big advantage; they'd already be prepared for situations like that when their baby would be born.


	44. We'll be good parents

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)**

Danny woke up in the middle of the night. But he didn't have to switch the lights on to know that his fiancee wasn't lying next to him. He could feel Lindsay wasn't even in the same room. Sighing lightly, he got up as well. He could pretty much imagine where she was.

As quiet as possible, to not wake any of the others up, he left their bedroom and headed to the room next door. Slowly he opened the door to Jesse's bedroom. His heart instantly warmed when he saw Lindsay sitting next to the little boy's bed, gently stroking through his hair.

"This is not your room, Montana," Danny whispered, walking over to her to join her on the floor.

"I'm sorry," she whispered back. "I just wanted to make sure the temperature didn't return."

"Don't worry about that," he said. "Let's get back to bed. Let him sleep. He is alright. Everything was just too much for him. He needs some rest, that's all."

Lindsay hesitated for a moment, before she nodded and got up. Throwing another short glance at her son, she followed Danny out of the room and back into their bedroom. Gently Danny pulled her back into the bed, closing his arms around her until they were lying in a comfortable embrace. They were silent for a few minutes before Danny spoke again.

"Would you please stop worrying?" he asked, half teasing, half serious. "I know, it's your hobby. But there is no need to be worried."

Lindsay sighed deeply. "I know, I know. But...well, I know it's stupid, but...he has never been sick before, and it scared me. I know, kids often have a temperature or something and it's alright again within a few hours or days. But anyway."

"Believe me, I know what you mean," Danny answered. "What do you think how I felt when Jesse was sick for the first time? It was a couple of weeks after I started taking care of him. I was totally scared. I didn't know what to do. He had a temperature, he was in pain and he cried all the time. And at that time he wasn't that close to me either."

"That must have been difficult," Lindsay replied, snuggling a bit closer against him. "How did you handle it?"

"I drove straight to the hospital. I was afraid he could have something really bad. But the doctor was pretty nice. He calmed me down and told me that it was just a little flu, something that happens a lot to children in this age. He also told me that it's even good when children are sick from time to time. It makes them more resistant against more serious diseases. He told me what to do and that I should just put him into bed and let him sleep. A few days later, he felt better. I was incredibly relieved, but after that first shock, I didn't freak out every time he sneezed or coughed anymore."

"That's good for you," Lindsay answered. "And I'm impressed by how you handled all that. You even were alone."

"Yes. Now I just wonder- why do I have the feeling there is a 'but'?"

Sighing once again, Lindsay moved out of his arms and a little backwards so she could face him.

"I don't think I am like you," she explained. "This was nothing bad, but I was already nervous. I went into his room more than once tonight, although I knew he didn't have a temperature anymore. And I'm scared of how it'll be when the baby will be born. Until now everything was pretty easy with Jesse. But how will it be when he becomes older? And when the baby will be born? Having two children will be much more difficult. I'm just afraid I won't be able to handle it when it becomes difficult."

Silent for a moment, Danny watched her. If he was honest, he had already waited for such a reaction. He could completely understand how she felt, what fears she had. He had already gone through them when he had taken care of Jesse. But he also knew her good enough to know that actually her fears were unnecessary.

"And that's what you thought about all the times you went to check on Jesse?" he asked.

Lindsay shrugged. "Maybe that was also why I was a little scared when I realised I'm indeed pregnant. I want to be a good mother and don't want to either make a mistake or freak out whenever something happens."

"But we have still a lot of time," Danny said. "I already know how Jesse reacts sometimes and I'm here to support you with him. And until the baby will be born, we have still several months left to get prepared for that. And even when we'll get into difficult situations, even when we might get afraid and overwhelmed by all we'll have to do- that's normal. Maybe we will make mistakes, but everyone does sooner or later. No one is perfect. And the perfect parents aren't existing either. We just have to try our best. I'm pretty sure we'll be able to be good parents, for both of our children."

"I hope you're right," Lindsay answered, trying to give him a little smile, but Danny wasn't easy to convince.

"I am right," he replied, this time even more determined. "Hey, look at who I was when I decided to take care of Jesse. I didn't have the slightest idea what to do. But look at me and Jesse now. It works. It took me a while of course. Just give yourself this time to get used to be a parent, to get used to both, the good and the less good parts of it. You're stronger than you think, sweetie. You just have to trust in yourself. That's all." And with a little smirk, he added, "You should listen to me. I think I'm the best example that you don't have to read books about raising children and have to be grown up in a happy, big family to be a parent. I know I made mistakes, but I learnt from them. And freaking out here and there is normal either."

Now finally being able to smile, Lindsay nodded. "I think you're right with that."

Danny nodded as well, smiling satisfied. "Of course I'm right. And I think it's even good you're scared. Because it shows you care about your kids. You want to make it right. They mean a lot to you, both of them. And surely this fear will return from time to time. Just come to me and we'll talk about it, alright? I promise I'll do the same. I mean, hey, having a baby is a first for me as well."

Laughing now, Lindsay answered, "Yeah, but I'm sure you'll do great."

"Just like you," Danny replied.

Lindsay looked at him for another moment before she nodded and snuggled back into his arms. Maybe Danny was right. She should trust in herself and her features more. Having two children would be difficult. But it was also a challenge. There would be happy and nice times and of course difficult and scary times. But that was normal and if they worked together, like they were already doing anyway, they'd be able to handle that.


	45. Jesse's advice

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! It's my birthday today and so I thought a new FT update would be nice. ;) I have a lot of plans for this story and I hope you'll continue reading (and of course reviewing). Enjoy!**

The following days the five spent in Montana, seemed to pass in record time. James, who loved playing the guide, showed them many different activities they could do in Montana. Lindsay, who was back in her home town for the first time since she had moved to New York, had to admit that she had missed her old home. She was happy to see her friends, son and fiancé loving the time they spent together as well.

It was the perfect vacation for them; they had enough time and quiet to relax and also to get prepared for the one big event that would be right after the holidays- the wedding.

But the closer they got to the wedding, the more nervous Lindsay became. She was excited, that was for sure, and she was also nervous because of the moment when she'd announce she and Danny were going to have a baby.

Danny, who knew Lindsay as good as himself, of course noticed that immediately. He didn't need her to say anything to know she was nervous; he was feeling the same. His heart was racing whenever he thought of this day. They were going to be husband and wife. It was an amazing feeling.

It was late in the afternoon half a week before the wedding. The other wedding guests would arrive the next day. They would stay in a hotel in the city. Everything was already prepared for them. They were so close to their great day that his excitement was almost driving Danny crazy. Especially because his fiancee seemed to feel exactly like him.

He and Flack had just been at the Monroe's farm with James. While Flack was still there, Danny had already returned. He found Lindsay in the kitchen, cleaning the dishes from lunch.

"You know we have a dishwasher," he said, joining her.

Smiling at him, Lindsay shrugged. "I know. But it's a nice way to distract myself."

"The nervousness is horrible, isn't it?" Danny asked, stepping behind her. Gently he closed his arms around her waist from behind, feeling how she leant back against him.

"It is," she agreed. "But it doesn't really matter, right? I mean, it's a good sort of nervousness."

"That's true," Danny almost whispered, placing a soft kiss onto her neck, causing her to shudder lightly. "Just to let you know, there are other ways to distract you. And me as well."

Chuckling, Lindsay let go of the dishes and turned around in his arms.

"Just to let you know, our son is upstairs, playing, Stella is at home as well and Don could return every moment."

"Yeah, and your point is...?" Danny asked back, earning a hit against his arm from her.

"You'll have to wait till later," she replied, kissing him gently before pulling away again.

"Only if you promise something," Danny answered.

"Depends."

Smirking, Danny pulled her closer. "Promise you won't do this traditional 'stay away from the bride the night before the wedding' game, okay?"

Laughing, Lindsay allowed him to pull her into his arms. "You can't be without me for one single night?"

"No, no way," Danny answered, causing her to laugh even more. "What? Don't tell me you wouldn't have a problem with that."

Lindsay didn't respond to that. Instead of that she just laughed and snuggled back against him. Danny was right; he was definitely a good distraction.

Meanwhile Jesse, who had been playing in his bedroom for the last time, was slowly becoming bored. When he left his room, he could already hear his parents laughing downstairs. Chuckling, he walked over to the stairs. But before he could head downstairs, he heard a noise coming from where he knew Stella's room was. Quietly he walked over to it, peeking through the half opened door. Stella was sitting on the large bed, next to the half opened suitcase with the wedding dress in it.

"Auntie Stella?" the little boy asked when he entered the room. "Are you okay?"

Looking up, Stella tried to give him a smile but failed. "Of course I'm okay. What about you?"

But Jesse simply ignored the question. "You look sad, Auntie Stella. Why are you sad?"

"I'm not sad, sweetie," she replied.

"No?" Jesse asked, not convinced. "Daddy said lying is bad."

"It is," Stella agreed.

"Then why are you lying?" the little boy wanted to know.

Listening to the boy, Stella couldn't help but smile at him. He wasn't just right about lying, he also felt that something was wrong with her. Obviously being together with Danny and Lindsay that much, he had learnt how to read minds.

"It's nothing bad, believe me," she said then. "Nothing to worry about."

Jesse walked over to her and climbed onto the bed, sitting down next to her. "Did you maybe make Mommy's dress dirty? I won't tell her, promise."

Stella laughed. "No, the dress is okay."

"Did you fight with Uncle Don?"

"No, we didn't fight," Stella answered. "I was just thinking about something. Nothing bad, really. There is no need to worry."

"You can tell me if you want," the little boy suggested.

Stella didn't know how to reply to that now. She didn't want to hurt him with saying that he wouldn't understand her problem. A problem that actually wasn't even a problem. But she couldn't deny that the preparations for the wedding caused her wish to marry herself increase more and more. She couldn't tell Jesse that though. But maybe he could make it work in another way.

"Did it ever happen to you that a friend of you was going to have a really big party where he'd get a toy he was wishing for for so long? And you were totally happy for him because you know how much he wanted this party and this toy. But somehow you were also a little sad because you wanted to have such a party as well, and such a toy."

Jesse thought about the question for a moment before he nodded. "Yes. Last year Paul had a really big birthday party and he got a dog. I was happy because he was happy, but wanted to have a dog as well. Is that what you mean?"

Stella nodded. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. Something like that happened to me as well, just a little different."

"Oh, but you don't have to be sad," Jesse replied, smiling at her. "I was sad because I couldn't have the dog, but last birthday I got turtles. So I have pets as well now."

"That's great," Stella told him.

Jesse nodded. "Yep. I don't know what you want to have, but I'm sure you will have it, too. Like I got my turtles."

"Yes, maybe," Stella said. This time she managed to give the little boy a true smile. Of course Jesse had no idea what the two of them had been talking about, but anyway the little, eight years old boy had managed to say exactly what she had needed to her. She was sad because she wasn't sure when she'd marry herself. She was happy for Danny and Lindsay but desperately hoped for a wedding herself. Soon. But like Jesse had said, maybe one day her wish would come true. She just had to wait.


	46. Wishes

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

The wedding was coming closer and closer. The guests had already arrived. Only Lindsay knew that three more guests were supposed to come, but Danny wasn't supposed to know that yet. For several reasons. Mainly because it was a surprise, but also because she feared that he would tell those guests to stay in New York.

But apart from all the upcoming stress, the nervousness and the excitement, Lindsay also discovered a strange tension between her two best friends, Stella and Flack. She wasn't really sure what was going on between those two, but she could feel that there had to be something unspoken between them. Something that was bothering them. Slightly confused by this sudden change of behaviour of those two, she decided that she'd have to have a talk with Stella later. Her friend hadn't given up on making her talk, about her and Danny, about Jesse and about the baby. Now she'd do the same with her.

It was around midday, right after the five had had lunch. Jesse, who was still easily exhausted by the weather and himself running around on the farm almost every free minute, was having a nap, and because Flack and Danny had parked themselves in front of the TV to use the few quiet moments, Lindsay decided to use her chance.

"Stella?" she asked her friend quietly while they but the last few dishes into the dishwasher. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Stella nodded. "Of course. What is it?"

"Let's get upstairs first. My room," Lindsay only replied. She didn't want to start this topic as long as they could be heard by the two men in the living room.

A few minutes later, the two women were upstairs, sitting on the balcony of Danny's and Lindsay's room, enjoying the beautiful view in front of them and the warmth of the early summer sun. Both were silent for the first few minutes before it was Lindsay who started to speak.

"Is everything okay with you and Don?" she asked, coming straight to the topic.

Surprised, Stella looked at her. "Of course. Why do you ask?"

"Because...well, I have the feeling something is going on between the two of you," Lindsay answered honestly. She saw how Stella opened her mouth to contradict, but she was faster. "Stella, I know you like my sister, okay? I can feel that something must be bothering you. I just want to help you. Like you already helped me so many times before."

Although she didn't really like the way this conversation would be going, Stella couldn't help but smile at that. "That's the bad part of always knowing how the other is feeling. But...you're not that wrong. There is something I'm thinking about for a while now. I know it shouldn't make me feel like that, but I just can't help it."

"What is it?" Lindsay wanted to know.

Stella released a deep sigh before she started to explain. "Please don't get me wrong, okay? I'm incredibly happy for you and Danny. I'm happy you found each other, are going to marry and to have a second child. But...I don't know why, but it also makes me sad, because I want that as well. I never knew how much I'm wishing for my own family, until I saw how happy the two of you are. I wish I had it myself, but I have no idea how to talk about that to Don. I can't just go to him and tell him 'hey, I want to marry you and I want to have kids with you, as fast as possible'. But I also don't want to wait anymore. It's driving me crazy, especially because I have no idea what to do."

After she had finished, Stella looked back at Lindsay, waiting for a reaction. Lindsay couldn't deny she wasn't surprised by what she had just learnt. This was exactly what she had expected, to be honest.

"I can understand how you're feeling," she answered then. "I felt the same when I discovered how much I want to have baby with Danny. But do you know what you told me then? You told me to go and talk to him. And you see- it worked."

Stella sighed again. "I know. Talking is the best to do. But...well, I know he thinks having a family is something great. I just have no idea if maybe I scare him away when he realises that I don't want to wait another few years. And we aren't that long together yet."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Lindsay disagreed. "The two of you are together for more than half a year now. You don't even have to know the two of you to know you belong together. I also don't think that there is any way you could scare Don away. Stella, this man loves you. Just be honest to him, tell him how you feel like. It's better than confusing him with your behaviour. Stella, look at him. Look at how he's treating you. And he even agreed to go on vacation into the country with you. And look at how he's acting around Jesse. He is the last one who has anything against marriage or kids, believe me. Just trust in him."

Stella looked at her for a moment, before a little smile lit her face and she nodded. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I should just talk about it. But not now. Maybe I should wait until the wedding is over. So I still have some time to think about how I want to say it."

"That's a good idea," Lindsay agreed satisfied.

Stella nodded. "Yes it is." She paused for a moment before she added, "And thank you, Lindsay. For everything."

"You're more than welcome," Lindsay replied smiling. When someone could understand how Stella was feeling, it was her. She had been in such difficult situations more than once herself and she had been glad when Stella had helped her. Especially when she had needed her so much while finding out she was going to have a baby. Now she was determined to support her friend as well. Even if that meant she had to force her to talk.

Meanwhile Danny and Flack were still watching TV. But actually it was only Flack who was really paying attention to it. Danny's attention was more resting on his best friend. Lindsay was not the only one who had noticed the change of behaviour between their two best friends. Danny knew Flack long enough to feel something was bothering him and he was determined to make him talk. Like Flack had done the same with him more than once as well.

"Okay, Don, what's wrong, huh?" he suddenly said into the silence, slowly getting impatient by the way his friend practically ignored his looks. "Spit it out. What's the matter? Did you have a fight with your girlfriend?"

Totally surprised by this sudden confrontation, Flack looked up at his best friend. "What? Nothing is wrong. And of course we didn't fight."

"Then what else is bothering you?" Danny wanted to know. "And don't say nothing. I always gave you answers as well."

Flack only looked back at him for a moment, unsure on what to say. But of course he knew fooling his best friend was impossible.

"Actually nothing is wrong," Flack finally started to explain. "But...there is something I'm thinking about for a while now. I...well, I was kinda insecure about it first, but I'm watching Stella quite closely for weeks now, and I think her behaviour reveals that my idea isn't that bad."

"Okay..." Danny answered. "I have no idea what the hell you're talking about."

Sighing, Flack replied, "I know. But before I explain it to you...can you do me a favour?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"I need you to promise to not talk about what I'm going to tell you. And...I'd be more than glad if you could help me with what...I'm planning to do. Not that you have to think I'm awaiting that. But...well, it'd be helpful to have some support and someone who advice me."

Danny nodded without hesitation. "Of course I'll help you. What else did you expect? Now tell me what's going on."

Flack nodded. He took a deep breath and then finally told what he was thinking about for a long while now. Listening to what his friend was telling him, Danny's eyes widened in surprise. Coincidentally he knew from Lindsay's talk to Stella, about the other woman's wishes. Listening to Flack's plan now, he was getting excited. His best friend had absolutely no idea how successfully his plan would work.


	47. Before the wedding, part 1

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Only two more chapters and I'll post the wedding! :)**

It was early and the sun was shining. Slowly waking up, Lindsay needed an extra moment before she could open her eyes. Sighing lightly, she turned around, just to discover that the other half of the bed was empty. Right, despite hers and Danny's wish to spend the night before the wedding together, Stella, Peyton and Madeleine had forced her to sleep at the Monroe's farm. She wasn't allowed to sleep in the same room with her fiancé. And there was no way to do anything against those three determined women.

Sighing again, Lindsay sat up. During the last few days, she had gotten to feel the first disadvantages of being pregnant. She felt sick in the morning. Like right now. And lonely, because her husband-to-be wasn't there with her. She was surprised she had actually managed to fall asleep without him lying next to her. Lindsay had gotten used to Danny being with her as often as possible. Spending a night without him happened very rarely and knowing that he was sleeping only a few rooms away from her was torture.

But being Danny and Lindsay, they hadn't simply accepted their friend's wish to stay apart. With a grin, Lindsay remembered what they had done the night before.

_It was late at night. Lindsay was standing at the door of her old bedroom, listening to the sounds coming from the other rooms. Everything was quiet; obviously everyone had gotten to bed already. That was exactly what she had hoped for. Quietly she opened the door and left her room. As careful as possible she headed downstairs, making sure she didn't make more noises than necessary. While doing that, she had to bite her tongue to not chuckle. How many times had she already tried to get out of this house without anyone noticing? Unfortunately it had never worked. Hopefully it would tonight._

_When Lindsay left the farm, she already noticed that her escape hadn't been the only successful one. Danny was already waiting for her, near the stables. Quickly she rushed over to him._

"_Did anyone see you?" she asked him._

_Danny only shook his head, already pulling her into his arms and into a deep, passionate kiss. It was one night they had to spend apart from each other, but that was already too much to handle for them. Knowing that the other one of them wasn't far away, they couldn't fall asleep, at least not without seeing each other for a brief moment again._

"_You know, that's very hot," Danny said after they had spent minutes with kissing, like they hadn't seen each other for months._

"_What?" Lindsay asked, snuggling closer against him._

"_This here," she repeated. "Us meeting and trying to not be caught. It's so...forbidden. You know?"_

_Lindsay chuckled. "You mean like we're two lovers, desperate using every possible minute to be together while everyone wants to keep us apart?"_

_Danny nodded. "Exactly. And that's damn hot."_

"_Oh yes, it is," Lindsay agreed. She wanted to say more, but was interrupted._

"_Lindsay Monroe, do you really think we're that easy to fool?" the familiar voice of Stella shouted from the front door of the farm._

"_I have to go," Lindsay whispered. "I'll miss you."_

"_I'll miss you, too," Danny whispered back, pulling her into another longing kiss. And another. And another. Lindsay was hardly able to make them break apart again._

"_I really should go now," she said._

_Danny nodded. "I cannot wait for the moment you become my wife. I love you."_

"_I love you, too."_

_With that she managed to get out of his arms and ran back to the house. Only one night and they'd marry._

With a smile on her face, Lindsay remembered the night before. She and Danny were together for a while now, and both still couldn't get enough of each other. Their passion was still there. And would always be. Just with the difference that it was combined with love, which made it even more intense.

Deep in her thoughts, she didn't hear how the door was opened. She didn't even notice how Stella and Peyton joined her in her bedroom, sharing an amused smile at the dreaming expression in their friend's eyes.

"Good morning, Linds," Stella greeted her then.

Lindsay, snapping back into reality, turned around to her friends. "Oh, good morning."

"I hope you're ready to get up," Stella added, already walking over to the near window to open the curtains. "Because we have to get you showered, dressed and have to do the make-up. Only a couple more hours and we have to be in the church."

Listening to what her best friend was saying, Lindsay's eyes widened. It wasn't like she didn't know she was supposed to marry at this day. But realising that now she had to get prepared for it, had only a few more hours, she couldn't believe it.

"Are you okay, Lindsay?" Peyton asked. "You look a little shocked."

"What? Oh, no, I'm not," Lindsay replied. "It's just...I'm going to marry today! Can you believe that?"

Stella and Peyton shared a quick, knowing glance. They had already been waiting for this reaction.

"It's true, Lindsay," Stella said. "Today you're going to become the Mrs. Lindsay Messer. And that's why you have to get up now. Hurry!"

And this time she didn't have to repeat it again.

------

Around two hours later, Lindsay was still standing in her bedroom. She was staring at the large mirror, still not believing it was actually her she was looking at. She was completely dressed now, in the beautiful, white dress she and Stella had bought a while ago. Her hair was curlier than usual and Peyton and Stella had proven that they also could have become successful make-up artists. It was simply impressive.

"I hope Danny will be able to speak in front of the altar when he sees you like that," Stella, who had been watching Lindsay secretly from the door for a few minutes, said into the silence.

Turning around, Lindsay blushed and smiled. "I can't thank you enough, Stella. For everything. You...you were always there for me, you know that? After the proposal, when we had to buy the wedding dress. You supported me when I noticed my wish for a child and you were there for me when I found it out. I...never expected to find such a wonderful friend when I came to New York." She paused for a moment, before she added, "Although I wouldn't even call you a friend anymore. More a sister."

Stella didn't reply to that immediately. It happened really rarely, but Stella was speechless. She was amazed by the intense gratitude she was receiving from her best friend. And apart from that the fact that Lindsay saw her as a sister, like she did as well, was a wonderful feeling for her, who had always been searching for someone she could call 'family'. In Lindsay, Danny and Flack she had found those persons, and hearing that her best friend agreed with her on that was the best one could say to her.

"Thank you," Stella managed to say after a couple of minutes. "You're indeed like a sister for me." She hesitated for a moment, fighting with the rising emotions and tears. "So, are you ready to get married now? And to confess that you and Danny are going to have a baby?"

Hearing those questions, Lindsay couldn't do anything against the nervousness rising inside her again.

"I think so," she said. "I mean, I want this, more than anything else. And I can't wait for the others faces when we tell them about the baby. But...I'm so incredibly nervous, Stella."

Stella nodded understanding. "Of course you are. The wedding is one of the most important events in every woman's life. And it'll be just wonderful."

Lindsay nodded. "Right now all I want it to finally become Danny's wife. I don't want to wait anymore."

"That's good," Stella said. "Because it's time to go to the church now."

With that she headed over to her friend, taking her hand. After squeezing it lightly, she led her out of the room. They were getting closer and closer to the moment all of them had been looking forward to for weeks now; Danny's and Lindsay's wedding.


	48. Before the wedding, part 2

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! We're getting closer and closer to the wedding. ;)**

"Don't you think someone might catch us?" Danny asked, looking at Lindsay who was kneeling in front of him on their bed. She only laughed in response, pushing him against the chest so he landed on his back.

"No, they won't. And even if they might catch us, who cares?" she replied.

Danny wanted to reply, but words failed him when she started to place random kisses onto the bare skin right above the waistband of his boxers.

"Oh, Linds," he sighed, closing his eyes at the sensation. He could feel her smile against his skin. She crawled up his body, placing gentle, feather-light kisses on her way up his chest. Danny couldn't help but agree with her; who cared if one would catch them here although they weren't supposed to meet the night before the wedding. But what could he do? He couldn't get enough of this woman.

"Oh baby," she whispered into his ear, placing a soft kiss right behind it while he got lost at the wonderful scent that was so unique for her. "I love you so much. Only a couple more hours and we'll be husband and wife."

"I love you, too, sweetheart," Danny whispered back, releasing another sigh at the thrills her kisses were sending through his entire body. He wanted to say more, but was interrupted by another voice that suddenly spoke to him.

"Danny?" the voice said. "Come on, wake up, okay?"

"What?" he asked confused.

"Wake up, Danny. Open your eyes finally," the voice now almost shouted and Danny finally realised it was Flack who was talking to him. Within a second his eyes flew open and he shot up in bed.

"It's not what it looks like," he said, staring at Flack, who was standing next to his bed, watching him with a slightly disgusted expression in his eyes.

"And how does it look like?" his best friend asked confused. It was the moment when Danny noticed that something obviously didn't fit.

"Where's Lindsay?" he asked.

"At the farm, where she was supposed to be during the night before your wedding," Flack answered. "Why?"

"So she wasn't in here last night?" Danny asked back, ignoring Flack's question.

"No. We caught you already downstairs."

Danny nodded, still confused though. Flack only shook his head at him.

"The two of you can't be apart for one single night? And you already have such dreams? Wow, it's about time the two of you get finally married," he said.

Danny only rolled his eyes at him. "Now why did you have to wake me up?"

Flack's eyes widened in surprise. "What? You seriously ask me that? Look at your clock, it's about time you get up or you'll be late for your own wedding. I'm sure Peyton and Stella are already dressing your fiancee up and you're still lying in bed. Even your son is already up."

He didn't have to say it twice; within a second Danny had left his bed. His entire nervousness and excitement hit him again. He was going to marry, only a couple of hours more to wait. And he was still hardly able to believe it.

"Danny? Are you okay?" Flack asked, almost concerned.

Looking at him, Danny couldn't help but shrug. "I'm so happy it's almost driving me crazy. But...I also can't really believe it."

"Can't believe what?" Flack wanted to know, grabbing Danny's arm to lead him back to the bed so he could sit down instead of fainting every moment.

"Everything," was Danny's simple reply. "I mean, you know me for so long, don't you? Did you ever expect me to change that much? I'm a father for years now. And the kid didn't completely freak out, so obviously there must have been some things I've made right. I've totally fallen in love with such an amazing, wonderful woman, although I never thought I'd ever fall in love with anyone. Now we're living together in a house in the suburbs, we're going to have a second child and we're going to marry today. Can you believe that?"

A questioning expression in his eyes, Danny looked at his best friend, who had listened to him in silence. Flack didn't need a second to respond.

"Of course I can believe it," he answered honestly. "Seriously, Danny, Mac is not the only one who expected you to fall in love sooner or later. I never saw you as a player, to be honest. Your only problem was, that you were afraid to fall in love, to admit feelings, because you were scared to be hurt in the end. That's it. But after all you're a very emotional person. It was only a question of time. You just had to find the right one and you'd have a family in record time. And about Jesse; I never doubted you'd be able to take this responsibility. You're stronger than you think, Danny."

Listening to his best friend, Danny immediately blushed. This as not the reaction he had expected, but according to the way Flack had spoken to him, he was serious.

"Thank you, Don," he said then. "For everything. Not just for telling me that. I...don't know what I would have done without you. Without all the support and the comfort. Thank you for that."

"You're more than welcome," Flack replied, now blushing as well. "Let's get you dressed so your fiancee won't have to wait for you in the church."

Around two hours later, Danny was standing in the church, right in front of the altar. Flack was standing only a few feet away watching his friend closely. He could almost feel his nervousness himself. No surprise; marriage was incredibly exciting. And right now Flack was very nervous himself. He had a plan only he and Danny knew about yet and he was getting closer and closer to translating it into action.

Meanwhile Danny once again tried to calm himself down with taking one deep breath after the other. Once again he let his eyes wander over all the people who had already sat down in the small church, talking and waiting for them to start. His heart was racing and he was shivering.

His eyes wandered over to the first bench right next to Flack. Jesse was sitting on it, wearing a little suit and holding the pillow with the two wedding bands resting on top of it. The little boy had been incredibly relieved when he had realised he really wouldn't have to throw flowers at the wedding but would have an important job like handing the wedding bands to his parents. Now he was grinning up at him, pointing his right thump up and Danny couldn't help but smile back. He knew; although his son was so young, he could feel how nervous his parents were.

Taking another deep breath, Danny let his eyes wander back to the large door across of him. The large door Lindsay would walk through together with her father. Only a few more minutes to wait. Only a few more minutes and they'd marry.


	49. I do

**A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing! Here is it finally- the wedding! Enjoy! ;)**

Standing in front of the large, wooden door, Lindsay could feel her heart beating faster and faster. She knew exactly that behind this door, all their friends and their families would wait for her to enter the room and for her and Danny to get married.

She wondered if he had already discovered that his parents and Louie were there as well. Danny had hoped that Louie would come, but hadn't mentioned his parents. Lindsay had invited them anyway, because she thought bit was about time they finally clarified their problems. Maybe not during the wedding, but some time later.

Taking another deep breath, she closed her eyes. Only a few more moments and she'd stand in front of Danny, right next to the altar and would say her wedding vow. Hopefully she wouldn't forget it then. And then they'd be husband and wife. How wonderful was that?

"Are you ready to go in there?" the voice of her father interrupted her in her thoughts.

Turning around, Lindsay saw Harry, smiling at her. She could only nod in response, hardly able to form any sentences.

"You're nervous, aren't you?" Harry asked, smiling even more. "But that's normal. It's a good kind of nervousness."

"It is," Lindsay agreed. She wanted to say more, but then Stella entered the room, a very excited expression in her eyes.

"Ready? They're already waiting for us," she said.

Again Lindsay nodded. Closing her eyes once again, she took another deep breath. Her father was right; it was normal she was nervous. And excited. But it was a good nervousness. And she couldn't wait to get in there.

Then the door was opened and the wedding march started to play. Gently Harry took Lindsay's arm and started to lead her into the inner room of the church. Actually Lindsay had expected that now, when all guests would look at her, she would be even more nervous. But the exact opposite was the case.

The moment she entered the room, her eyes found Danny, standing right next to the altar. Their eyes instantly met. She saw the sparkles in his eyes and the amazed expression when he laid eyes on her beautiful appearance. Seeing all the love in his eyes, Lindsay felt all the nervousness shrink, almost disappear. She felt like everything around her was far away and only the two of them were in the church. And only the two of them mattered, because it was their special day.

Lindsay felt like they needed ages until she and her father stopped and Harry handed her over to Danny.

"You're so beautiful, Montana," he said, taking her hands into his, smiling at her.

"You look fantastic yourself, Messer," she replied, smiling back at him. She felt, how his grip around her hands tightened and she was glad for it; she was afraid that if he let go of her hands, she'd simply fall backwards. Although the almost frightening nervousness had become less, her legs where still wobbly and she was almost shivering. Staring straight into Danny's eyes, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. There was no need to be frightened. He loved her, and this was exactly what his eyes were telling her right now. He wanted her, just like she wanted him. There was no need to be afraid.

Feeling herself finally relax, Lindsay heard the priest starting to speak. Mentally she prepared her words already wondering what Danny would speak for her. She knew he had invested several hours into his wedding vow, like her as well, and she was excited to find out what he had come up with.

She didn't have to wait long. After speaking the first preluding words, the priest nodded into Danny's direction. Danny nodded back, closing his eyes for a brief moment, before he looked back at Lindsay again and started to speak.

"Lindsay. You know how much time I needed to write this here, and how often I had to throw you out of the room because you were too curious."

Remembering all the situations when she had walked into the bedroom and Danny had jumped up from the bed, telling her to go out again, quickly hiding the papers behind his back, Lindsay chuckled. He chuckled as well, then continued.

"But when I had finished this, I actually had to admit that it wasn't difficult at all. Because I know exactly what I want to tell you. Lindsay, what you did to me is simply amazing. Not long ago I was convinced I'd never fall in love. First I was afraid. I needed long to realise that this always held me back. I was afraid to admit those feelings because someone could possibly hurt me. And because I never really found a woman I could trust in. I also wanted to find someone who was willing to be a good mother for my son. I got the feeling I would never find this person and I was close to giving up.

But then I met you. The moment I saw you at the zoo, I knew you're special. You looked up at me, gave me this incredible, magical smile and I was lost. I knew I'd never get you out of my mind again. And that's what happened. You had all those features I was always wish for. You're sweet, you're smart, you're funny and caring. You were the only one who managed to get along with Jesse from the first second."

"That's me. He's talking about me," the whispering voice of Jesse interrupted them.

"Ssh, what did we tell you about talking during the wedding?" Flack whispered back, blushing bright red when everyone, the couple included, looked at them. "Just go back to...where you stopped."

Chuckling lightly, Danny turned his attention back to his bride, needing another second to get back to where he had stopped and continued.

"Like I said, you made the impossible possible. You made our son like you immediately. And you made me fall in love with you, so hard that I'm shocked by how much you can feel for another person. Lindsay, you changed everything for me. Before I met you, I was happy. That's at least what I always thought, because I had no idea what being happy really means. Now I know it, and I will try everything to keep it. You gave me a family. Lindsay, I love you, more than anything else. You're my everything and one of my highest priorities is to always make you as happy as you've made me. I love you, sweetheart."

With that Danny gave a light nod to the priest, signaling he had finished his wedding vow. At this point his view was clouded with tears; mirroring exactly Lindsay's own expression. He had put all his emotions, all his love into those words; for a man like him, who had always been afraid to be hurt, this meant a lot. He truly loved her; something she knew, but whenever he repeated it, it never failed to warm her heart.

When she priest now gave her the signal to speak, Lindsay closed her eyes again, took a deep breath and started her own wedding vow.

"Danny. I think you know moving away from here to a huge city like New York wasn't easy for me," she started. "It has always been my dream, but the moment I entered the plane, I was incredibly nervous. I didn't know what was awaiting me. And who. And on my first day at work; you have no idea how I felt! I was so scared to do or say anything wrong. But it changed the moment we met. I don't know what happened, and actually you weren't that nice when you played this trick on me."

Lindsay couldn't help but grin at the memory of this first day at the zoo and she saw how Danny couldn't prevent himself from grinning as well.

"But although you teased me so much, it helped me a lot. Because you always had those sparkles in your eyes when you did it. I'm not sure you ever noticed that, but you gave me the feeling that I'm accepted at one of your own. And that was an amazing feeling for me.

But that's not everything you did for me. Because...when I met you, I had no idea that within months you'd change everything for me completely. We got closer and closer, with every passing day, especially after I found out you have a son. We fell in love and we became a family, so fast that we barely didn't notice what a strong bond was already uniting us.

You...you once asked me if I'm sure about all that. If I'm sure I wanted all those changes to happen in such a short time. I never had to think about the answer; yes, I am sure. I think I've never been that sure about anything before. I love you and I love our little family. When I came to New York, I was insecure. Now I'm so incredibly happy I still can't believe it. I never imagined it was possible to have such a string connection to another person. But it possible. I always believed in the theory of every person having a second half, soul mate, out there. And I'm happy I found mine. I love you so much."

Lindsay was glad that with that she had finished her vow, because she knew she wouldn't be able to controll her voice any longer. The tears which she had tried to hold back all the time, were no streaming down her cheeks. But they were happy tears. And at this moment she needed her entire willpower to not release one loud, intense scream, to show the whole world how much she loved this man, who had now given up on fighting against his own tears, but was still holding her hands in a supportive, strong grip.

The priest spoke another few words before he asked for the rings. Jesse, all the time excitedly waiting for him to have his great moment, forced himself to not jump up from his seat. As slowly as possible he got up and walked the few steps over to his parents.

"See Daddy, I didn't lose the rings," he said, smiling proudly.

Danny couldn't help but laugh when he took the two rings from his son. "Good job, buddy."

While Jesse grinned even more and headed back to his seat, Danny turned back to Lindsay. Gently he slid the ring onto her finger before she did the same, having a hard time with controlling her fingers.

And then they were married. Lindsay still felt like all this was not real. But deep inside she knew it was, and it was an amazing feeling. She didn't even hear how the priest told them to kiss, she only followed her instinct. Gently, Danny pulled her closer until their lips met in a loving kiss. The little 'ew' which she heard coming from Jesse again, instantly being interrupted by a warning 'Jesse!' by Flack, made her smile against her husband's lips.

Her husband. Danny and Lindsay were married now. Both had already been aware of the strong connection between them, even before te proposal. But this day again had managed to bring them even closer, to make her love grow even more.


	50. A little surprise

**A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing!!!!!!! I'm happy you liked this story. This is already chapter 50, and I'm so happy to see you're still reading this story. Thank you!**

While he and Lindsay were leaving the church, Danny felt like he was still dreaming. He couldn't believe that he had really just married his beloved Montana. They were husband and wife now. How amazing was that!

He looked down at her, seeing how she was cuddling against his side, while he led her out of the church and over to the little surprise he had arranged for her. He didn't want to miss the expression in her eyes when she'd see it.

And, like he had expected it, she was impressed. The moment they left the church, Lindsay's eyes widened in surprise and awe at what she saw; a white carriage.

"Oh, Danny!" she exclaimed. "I didn't know about that! Don't tell me you arranged that for us? The carriage will take us to the restaurant?"

But Danny shook his head. "No, not exactly. We'll do a little sightseeing first. If you don't mind."

Lindsay's eyes started to sparkle even more. "I would love to!"

"Great," Danny replied. Happily he watched her, seeing the excitement in her eyes. This was another feature of her he loved a lot; the fact that she was so easy to excite. And she could express those feelings so well; she smiled and her eyes sparkled so much. He could feel how she squeezed his arm even more, hardly able to prevent herself from simply rushing over to the carriage. He knew that one of her secret wishes had been sitting in a carriage at her wedding, and so it had been sure for him that he'd arrange this for her.

"That's so romantic," she said after the two of them had sat down in the carriage. "What a wonderful idea! What did you mean with sightseeing though?"

But again Danny only shook his head. "I won't tell you. You'll have to wait and see."

"Hm, okay," Lindsay replied, but Danny could clearly feel how her impatience was growing more and more with every passing moment.

The carriage took them away from the church and into the different direction of where the cars with the guests were heading to- away from the city. Danny knew how much Lindsay wanted to continue asking, but using her whole willpower, she stayed quiet.

"You aren't kidnaping your own wife, are you?" she said anyway a while later.

Chuckling, Danny shook his head. "All I want is to spend a few quiet minutes with my wife before we have to face all of our very excited guests."

Lindsay laughed. "That's a good idea." She wanted to say more, but was silent then.

It took them another few minutes until the carriage changed onto a smaller, quieter road which led them away from the main street. Even before the carriage had reached its target, Lindsay had already spotted where they were going to, and once again her eyes widened in surprise.

"A wheat field?" she asked, her eyes sparkling like stars now. "You're taking me to a wheat field?"

Danny nodded. "Although we've spent two weeks here, you still haven't really shown me one from closer than a few miles. And I finally want to find out why you like them so much."

With that the carriage stopped. From their place they had a fantastic view, right over a large wheat field, which reached a forest, right at the bottom of the large mountains. The sun was shining in the deep blue sky. They were silent for many minutes, simply sitting on their seats, Lindsay resting against Danny's chest, while his arms were closed around her tightly.

"Can you understand me now?" she asked after a while.

"That you like wheat fields more than the skyline?" Danny asked back. But Lindsay shook her head.

"I didn't say I like the wheat fields more," she answered. "Because I love both. Both is incredibly romantic."

"I agree with you on that," Danny replied. He placed a gentle kiss into her hair before he added, "Actually every place is romantic as long as you're there as well."

Lindsay shifted in Danny's arms until she was able to look up at him, still smiling this huge smile he loved so much.

"You're incredibly sweet, do you know that?" she asked and to his surprise, he saw a few tears rising in her eyes again.

"Just like you," he replied, gently wiping the first tear away. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

Lindsay nodded. "I am. I'm fine. More than fine. Actually I don't even know if I have ever been so happy before." She paused for a moment, swallowing hard, before she continued, "First your proposal. You spent so much time with planning it and it was so perfect. Then the wedding. It was exactly the way I've always dreamt about it; only with our family and closest friends and in this wonderful church. This wedding symbolized what our relationship is; it's perfect. You have no idea how happy you made me with everything that happened between us since we met, Danny."

At this point, more tears were running down her cheeks. But she didn't care, not a bit. And Danny had to think how incredibly beautiful she was at this moment, dressed in her wedding dress, with all the love she felt for him in her eyes.

"Can you believe we're husband and wife now? A real family? Officially?" Lindsay asked quietly.

But this question was easy to answer for Danny. He simply nodded.

"Yes, I can believe it," he answered. "It's just my opinion of course, but for me we were already like a married couple all the time. This thing between us, our connection and our love, it's still growing every day although I have no idea how it can become any stronger. Knowing that you're Mrs Messer now thought makes it even more perfect."

Lindsay only stared back at him, before she suddenly moved closer until they kissed. The kiss lasted several minutes until they had to break apart again.

"Are you ready to go back to our guests?" Danny whispered.

Lindsay only nodded in response.

A few minutes later, the carriage took the two back into the city to where they'd meet their guests and where they'd celebrate the love of Danny and Lindsay.


	51. Flack's speech

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! Here's finally the next chapter! Enjoy! :)**

"Wasn't this the most perfect wedding you've ever seen?" Stella asked Flack while the two of them entered the large restaurant which they had reserved for the after wedding party. She still had tears in her eyes and once again tried to wipe them away.

"It was nice," Flack agreed, causing Stella to stop. "What?"

"Just nice?" she asked him in disbelief. "It was perfect! It was so romantic. Something like that is the dream of every woman."

"Is that so?" Flack asked back. Of course he was just teasing her again. Yes, even he had to admit that this was one of the most romantic events he had seen in a very long time. Maybe he had ever seen. And the fact that Stella liked it so much instantly made him feel even better. He wanted to say more but was interrupted by Jesse.

"Where are Mommy and Daddy now?" the little boy asked.

"Oh, they'll be here soon," Stella answered. "Your Daddy planned a little trip for your Mommy in the carriage."

"Okay," Jesse answered, but didn't seem too pleased.

"What's up, buddy?" Flack asked, noticing the boy's reaction. "Didn't you like your big role?"

"I liked it," Jesse said. "But...they will come here, right?"

"Of course they will," Stella replied. "Don't worry about that, sweetie. It's just a little surprise your Daddy had for your Mommy. After that they'll come here and celebrate with us. You know what? Until they'll come here, you could already look at which table we'll sit later. There are cards on them."

Finally convinced, Jesse nodded. "I will do that."

With that he left and headed over to the beautifully set tables, leaving Stella and Flack alone.

"He doesn't really like to be apart from his parents," Flack said.

Stella nodded. "It's no surprise though."

When Danny and Lindsay finally arrived at the restaurant, everyone already waited for them. They received a lot of congratulations from all their friends and family members.

"Danny," Louie said when it was his turn to congratulate the newly married couple. "My best wishes to the two of you."

Smiling, Danny embraced his brother. "Thank you. I'm so glad you managed to come here."

He wanted to say more but stopped the moment he saw his other two family members appearing behind his brother. Lindsay, who had already been waiting for this moment, watched her husband closely, curious for his reaction. She saw the first shocked expression in his eyes changing into something she couldn't interpret.

"Mom. Dad," he said, his voice low, almost cold. "I didn't expect you to come. I didn't even know we invited you."

"Your wife asked us if we'd like to come," Danny's mother answered, herself looking a little uncomfortable. Lindsay knew the relationship between them wasn't the best. Danny still refused talking about his family most of the time, but she had thought that at least for the wedding they could have their appearance.

"Danny," his mother spoke again after pausing for a moment. "We're here to congratulate. For your family, for your marriage. I know, maybe it feels strange to you that I suddenly come to you and talk to you like that. But...your father and I...we're proud of you, Danny."

Surprised by this honesty, Lindsay looked back at Danny. How would he react to that? Would he tell them to go? Or give them a chance to show that they meant what his mother had just said?

"Why couldn't you tell me that earlier?" Danny asked, in a slightly shaking voice.

"I'm sorry," his mother said. "Maybe we should have said it more often. Should have shown it to you. But...well, we still can, can't we?"

Danny hesitated for a moment. His father hadn't said a word yet, and this didn't surprise him at all. But when he looked into his mother's eyes, he knew she was telling the truth. He also knew that she had tried to get closer to him over the last years, but after the lack of contact they had shared all the time before, he had blocked those attempts. Maybe she was write. Maybe it was about time they'd change something. And because Lindsay had invited them, he could be pretty sure that this was what she wished as well.

"We'll see," he answered then.

While Danny's parents joined the other guests, Danny and Lindsay remained in the entrance hall for another moment.

"I'm sorry I invited them without telling you," Lindsay whispered. But Danny shook his head.

"It's okay," he answered. "Don't worry. Maybe it's even good. All the times without really any contact. It's time we finally talk. Maybe I'll do that later."

"I'd be happy about that," Lindsay replied. And with a slight smirk, she added, "Especially after what they'll learn soon."

Danny nodded. Yes, they still had to talk to the others about their baby. And he couldn't deny he was slowly getting nervous about that.

A few minutes later, all guests and the married couple had sat down at the table. Everyone was talking, until Flack go up from his seat.

"Yo, would you please listen to me. Just for a moment," he shouted, to his surprise indeed instantly earning everyone's attention. "Being the best man, I would like to say a few words to our two sweeties here."

"But doesn't Mommy have to toss the flowers first?" Jesse suddenly interrupted him, causing everyone to laugh.

"Your Mommy will throw the bridal bouquet, Jess," Danny explained. "But first let Uncle Don have his speech. He's excited about it for days now."

Jesse chuckled. "I know, he even practiced it in front of a mirror."

"Okay," Flack interrupted the little boy then. "Nice to see the two of you have so much fun, but now let me start. Today we're here to celebrate the wedding of Danny and Lindsay. Actually this wedding was no surprise for anyone of us. When Lindsay moved to New York not long ago, everyone of us instantly noticed what was going on between those two."

"What was going on?" Jesse, who was sitting next to him, asked curiously, instantly earning a warning gaze from his father.

"That's not polite, Jesse," he said. "Let him finish the speech and ask then."

"Yeah, listen to your Daddy," Flack agreed, playfully rolling his eyes. "Okay, where did I stop? Right. So I'm sure I'm not the only one who noticed the chemistry between those two the moment they saw each other for the first time. It was only a question of time until they'd fall for each other. And that's what happened. Danny here asked me if I ever expected this to happen. But the answer is very easy. Of course I knew it. And I was even more certain the moment I saw him with Lindsay. I remember a little scene I watched many months ago. I think it was the day when Lindsay met Jesse here for the first time."

"That's me," the little boy said, grinning proudly.

"Yeah. It was the first time they met and Jesse had already fallen asleep while he was together with Danny and Lindsay in their office. I'm not sure what they did and I only saw them for a brief moment. But it was enough for me to know that I've been right all the time. Those two here were supposed to get together. They're meant for each other. And it's wonderful to see you as a family now. I think you're what people call an ideal couple. The bond that connects the two of you is so strong. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who is happy for the two of you. You deserve to be happy with your little family."

With that Flack took his glass. "To the bride and the groom!"

"To the bride and the groom!" the other guests said.

At this point both, Danny and Lindsay had tears in their eyes. The words Flack had chosen for them had touched them. They knew how happy he and Stella were for them.

"Thank you, Don," Danny said.

"Oh, you're more than welcome," Flack replied. "But don't relax too much, Messer. It's about time for your own speech. And for revealing your little secret."

Danny and Lindsay shared a brief glance. He was right. It was about time they had their own speech. And to tell everyone that there was another surprise; the second child.


	52. Family and friends

**A/N: Thank you so much for the sweet reviews! I'm happy you liked the wedding and the surprise! Here's already the next chapter for you. I hope you'll enjoy it! :)**

"Alright, now, after my amazing speech, I'd say we give our sweet couple here the opportunity to say a few words," Flack said then. With a smirk at Jesse, he added, "And then your Mommy will toss the bridal bouquet."

Jesse already opened his mouth to reply, but Danny quickly interrupted him with getting up from his seat to get the attention of his guests.

"Okay, now it's our turn," he started. "First of all, I want to thank you all for being here today. This is one of those wonderful days you'll never forget and even remember when you're old. Today I married my great love, this sweet, little Montanan woman here. My Lindsay. We're husband and wife now. We're a real family. A steadily growing family."

He looked down at Lindsay, seeing how she was looking up at him now, smiling. She was as excited as him about their families' reactions to the fact that already another child was on the way.

Turning his attention back to the guests, Danny took another deep breath before he said, "We're happy to announce that Lindsay and I are going to have a second child soon."

Now it was out. Their little secret. And everyone in the room had heard it. For the first moment, no one reacted, everyone simply stared at the couple. Jesse was the only one who could barely prevent himself from bursting out into laughter about the sudden silence.

"You're pregnant?" James asked then, looking at his sister in disbelief. When Lindsay nodded, he added, "Then how the hell could you two keep that a secret all the time?"

With a huge smile on his face, he jumped up from his chair. "Congratulations to the two of you. And of course to the soon-to-be big brother!"

Now, after the silence was broken and the first surprise was over, the others followed James. Everyone of the guests congratulated the couple for having another baby on the way. Both, Danny and Lindsay, couldn't deny that those reactions made them incredibly relieved. Of course they hadn't really expected that anyone would have a problem with their little secret. Why should they? But it had been exciting anyway. Now seeing that everyone was so happy for them, was a great feeling.

"See, I told you so," Mac said, winking at Danny.

"What?" Danny asked back. "You told me I'd fall in love. Not that I'd adopt a child, marry and have another child."

"It was just a question of time," Mac replied, grinning.

"Exactly," Flack agreed. "Since the moment you laid eyes on her, everyone of us knew what'd happen."

"And looks like we were right," Hawkes added. Embracing Danny, he continued, "Congratulations on your little family."

"Thank you," Danny replied. He had a hard time with fighting back his rising tears. The warm congratulations of his families and friends was an amazing, almost overwhelming feeling.

But of course the happiness and excitement didn't make anyone forget what else had to be done, this time by the bride.

"Lindsay," Peyton, who had just congratulated Lindsay, said. "I think it's about time for another tradition. Your son already mentioned it earlier."

Smiling, Lindsay nodded. "Oh, the bridal bouquet. How could I forget." A bit louder, she shouted, "Ladies! I think it's about time to see who of you will marry next!"

Without needing any further instructions, the crowd moved over to the table, making some space for the bride and the not married women. Amused, Lindsay saw the excitement in all of their faces. Not many of her friends were married yet, but almost everyone of them was at least in a relationship. So who'd be the next who'd marry? Secretly Lindsay had already chosen who she wanted to catch the bridal bouquet most, but this she wouldn't reveal. Especially because she actually knew that another wedding wasn't far away anyway.

Turning her back to the women, Lindsay waited for a moment.

"Alright, are you ready?" she asked.

"Of course we are," Stella answered. "Now toss the flowers."

Chuckling, Lindsay nodded. "3...2...1...catch!"

With that she threw the bridal bouquet high into the air over her head. Quickly she turned around so she'd be able to see who'd be the lucky woman to catch it. The moment the flowers flew into their direction, all women jumped forward. But only one of them caught it, without even needing to push the others away. It almost seemed like the flowers flew straight to Stella, who only had to open her arms to catch them.

"Oh, Stella!" Lindsay exclaimed. "Congratulations!"

Stella, who was blushing bright red immediately, smiled broadly. While she was embraced by all the other women, who definitely were fair losers, Lindsay let her eyes wander over to where Flack was standing with Danny. Their friend had blushed as well, but no one was really paying attention to that; luckily for him. Danny and Lindsay exchanged a quick glance. They knew exactly what was going on in his mind. Only the two of them knew about it, but that was already exciting enough.

The rest of the party went exactly the way the newly married couple had planned it. Danny and Lindsay shared the first dance together, both surprising each other with their dancing skills. During dinner, everyone was talking, mainly asking the couple about their plans for the future. Danny and Lindsay hadn't planned on having a honeymoon yet; they wanted to wait with that at least until the baby was born, so they could take it and Jesse with them.

It was already late and everyone was in a dancing mood now, when Lindsay finally managed to get a free, lonely minute. Watching the others from a safe place near the tables and away from the dance floor, she mentally replayed what had happened during this day. And instantly tears started to rise in her eyes again.

Secretly Lindsay had often dreamt about how her perfect wedding would be like. That now she had gotten exactly that was still like a dream. Actually it had even been better. In front of the altar, she and Danny once again had proven to each other how much they loved each other. Every word they had spoken had confessed their deep, endless love, had shown how much they were connected, how much they belonged together. Flack's lovely speech had been the cherry on top of the cake. The two of them were meant to be together. And if they were completely honest, they had always know that as well.

Then they had revealed that soon they'd add another member to their little family, and everyone once again had proven how happy they were for the newly married couple. Everyone had expressed their wishes and congratulations to them. When Lindsay thought about the fact, that most of those people were the ones, she had met in New York, only a couple of months ago, she was even more happy. Who had imagined she'd be at this place a few months later when she had moved to New York? But what had her mother once said? The universe decides what belongs together. And she belonged to Danny and Jesse. And to their friends. This was what the universe had planned for her.

"Did I ever tell you how pretty you are when you're deep in your thoughts?" Danny interrupted her suddenly.

Snapping back into reality, Lindsay looked up at him, smiling. Without saying a word, she grabbed his arm, pulling him closer so she could rest her head against his shoulder.

"So what were you thinking about?" he asked.

"Nothing special," Lindsay replied. "I was just realising how happy I am. With you. With our family. With our friends. It's like a dream comes true."

Nodding, Danny moved behind her, closing his arms around her from behind. "That's true. But it's no dream. It's real. And it's wonderful."

Lindsay only nodded in response. Sighing lightly, she leant back against him, enjoying their closeness while she watched their friends and families.

At one of the tables, she discovered hers and Danny's parents. They were talking now, and obviously got along pretty well. Lindsay had been worrying about this a little, but obviously Danny's parents had said the truth; they were interested in becoming a more important part in his life again and were working on it.

Louie and James, who had surprised discovered several shared interests, were talking as well, having fun with whatever they were just talking about.

The rest of their friends she found on the dance floor. Smiling, she watched the couples.

Stella and Flack were together of course, dancing with a still overly excited Jesse, who showed them how a cool boy danced.

Mac and Peyton were dancing together as well, both not paying much attention to the others around them. Lindsay was happy to see them like that. She knew how much Mac had suffered from Claire's death. Now, with Peyton, he seemed to feel much better again. And much happier as well.

Then there were Aiden and her fiancé Officer Kelly. Not long after Lindsay had started to work for the crime lab, she had met Aiden and despite her fears, the two had gotten along perfectly.

Another couple were Adam and Kendall; two who still didn't want to admit they were together, but couldn't help but flirt all the time. They reminded Lindsay of herself and Danny; the two of them would surely reveal they were a couple as well soon. It was only a question of time.

The only ones who weren't in a relationship, were Hawkes and Angell. Both had also sat down at a table now, talking. Lindsay couldn't help but smile at them. She didn't need to be a mind reader to know the two of them liked each other. And who knew to what this'd lead one day?

"I think while everyone has so much fun, I'm sure no one would notice if we left now," Danny whispered into Lindsay's ear. "I told your Mom to take care of Jesse a bit later. Because...you know, Don's plan."

Lindsay's eyes widened. "Oh, he's going to do it later?"

Danny nodded, smiling at his wife, who was now looking up at him in excitement. "Yes. He already planned everything."

"That's so wonderful," Lindsay replied, smiling broadly. "I'm so happy for them."

"Like they're for us," Danny said, placing a gentle kiss onto her forehead. "Now let's go. I want to be alone with my wife."

"Sounds good to me," Lindsay agreed.

With that the couple headed to the door of the restaurant to leave the party. Their wedding had been a full success for them and they were looking forward to their first night as a married couple.

Meanwhile Flack was becoming more and more nervous. He was getting closer and closer to translating his plan into action, and he couldn't wait for Stella's reaction.


	53. Another wedding?

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! :) Lets see what Flack will do.**

"Wait, Don, where are we going?" Stella asked while Flack led her out of the restaurant. The other guests were still inside and she had been surprised when her boyfriend had suddenly decided to leave with her. Even when it was just for a few minutes, like he had told her.

"You should be more patient," was all Flack replied. He was incredibly nervous and knew that every word he'd speak would clearly reveal that. So he tried to avoid eye contact and tried to speak as less as possible.

"But what about Jesse?" Stella wanted to know. "We promised we'll take care of him tonight."

"We will," Flack replied. "Later, not now. Lindsay's mother is taking care of him. Now please, stop asking questions and come with me."

Hearing how much her boyfriend had to control his voice, Stella wanted to ask for the reason, but then changed her mind. Instinctively she could feel that something was going on and she decided to stay quiet. She'd find out anyway, sooner or later.

And that was what she did. Stella didn't even ask when Flack led her to a near car. Her curiosity was almost overwhelming her, but his behaviour revealed that what ever was going on, was a surprise for her. And she didn't want to ruin it.

It took them around half an hour. As much as Stella tried to keep herself calm, she couldn't prevent herself from trying to find out where they were driving to. Flack's behaviour was just increasing her excitement; he was getting more and more nervous with every passing moment.

And then the car stopped. Everything around them seemed to be dark first, which confused Stella lightly. But this changed the moment the two left the car. The second Stella saw what Flack had arranged for her, her eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh my...Don," she stammered while he led her over to the middle of the large field they had stopped next to. In the middle, what had to be around hundred candles where giving their soft, warm light. In the middle of the candles, they stopped.

"You like it?" Flack asked, instantly cursing himself for his almost overwhelming nervousness.

"Are you kidding?" Stella answered. "It's...amazing. What did I do to deserve something wonderful like that?"

"You really ask me that?" Flack asked back, giving her a warm smile. "I did that for you, because...well, you're just...the most important person to me, you know? You...you make me feel so great, you're what I've been searching for all the years. We can laugh together, we can be serious together and we're there, whenever the other one needs help or support. We're best friends and we're in love. I love you, Stella. That's why I did that for you. And...because there is something else."

He paused for a moment, needing a few seconds to calm himself down enough to ask what he was going to ask now. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Then he opened them again, looking straight into Stella's eyes. The expression in them already revealed she had gotten an idea of what was going on.

"I love you," he repeated. "More and more, with every day. Seeing how happy Danny and Lindsay are together, I realised how much I want all this myself. Stella...do you want to marry me?"

Finally Flack had spoken out what he had been thinking about for weeks now. Stella couldn't help but stare at him for the first moment. But then the realisation hit her and the tears she had tried to hold back, were running down her cheeks now when she answered.

"Yes! Yes, of course I want to marry you!" she answered.

Flack couldn't reply to that. Instead he pulled her into his arms, kissing her deeply. Danny and Lindsay had always told him she'd say 'yes'. Anyway he had been nervous and now was incredibly relieved. He couldn't know that with his question, he had made one of Stella's biggest dreams come true.

Meanwhile Danny and Lindsay had arrived at the hotel they were going to spend their first night as a married couple at. Lindsay was standing at the opened window now, lost in her thoughts, staring into the darkness, only brightened by the moon light and the stars above.

Danny had been watching her for a few minutes now, not wanting to interrupt her in her thoughts and also enjoying watching her like this. But now he thought she had been alone with herself for more than long enough and so walked over to her. Gently, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, instantly feeling how she leant back against him.

"What are you thinking about?" he whispered.

Smiling, Lindsay cuddled back against him even more. "You're very curious, you know that."

"I just can't help it," he replied, placing a gentle kiss onto her shoulder. "So what's going on in your mind, wifey?"

"You didn't just call me 'wifey', did you?" Lindsay asked back, raising her eyebrows. "I'd suggest- forget this name, immediately."

Chuckling, Danny kissed her again. "Okay, promise. I'll stick with Montana. So, now answer my question."

Sighing playfully, Lindsay nodded. "I was wondering if Don already asked the questions of the questions."

Danny shrugged. "No idea. I think so." He paused for a moment before he added, "What do you think Stella did?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Lindsay asked back, laughing. "Of course she said 'yes' and started to cry. Like I did. Because coincidentally I know that she wants to marry your best friend as much as I wanted to marry you when you asked me."

"Then I don't have to worry," Danny replied.

"Not at all," Lindsay agreed.

They were silent for a couple of minutes, now both staring out of the window, but without actually looking at anything. They were simply enjoying their nearness and the fact that the two of them were a married couple now. Knowing that their two best friends, who had done so much for them, who had always been there to support them all the time, would experience exactly the same wonderful moments made them feel even better. They knew for sure that soon there'd be another wedding. And both deserved to be happy and in love, just like them.


	54. CSI Superhero

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!**

Jesse was sitting at one of the dining tables in the restaurant, watching the adults who were on the dance floor, dancing to the music. First he had been dancing as well, with Stella and Flack, but then Flack had told him to stay with his grandma because he had a surprise for Stella.

Now he was watching them, bored. He knew he wouldn't spend the night together with his parents, but without Auntie Stella and Uncle Don he got bored and didn't really like to stay at the party. Knowing that he wasn't allowed to just go home, he didn't have another chance though.

"Hey little boy," the voice of Sid suddenly interrupted him in his thoughts. Looking up, Jesse saw how the older man sat down in the chair next to him, instantly causing him to smile. He liked Sid; the man always came up with the funniest stories.

"Hello Uncle Sid," he greeted back. "Don't you want to dance anymore?"

Sid shook his head. "No. It's getting exhausting. So...what about you? Are you bored?"

Jesse nodded. "Yes, very."

"Do you want me to tell you a story then?" Sid asked.

"Oh, please!" Jesse exclaimed, his entire attention now resting on Sid.

"Okay," he said. "Then let me think...which story could I tell you? Oh, did I ever tell you my superhero story? CSI Superhero?"

"No," Jesse answered, shaking his head. "Please tell me now!"

"Alright," Sid said. "Then let me start. Our story takes place far in the future. In the future, a lot has changed for the humans. Everything is more technically now. But people still commit crimes though. Of course they don't get away with those crimes. Because the New York of the future has an amazing team of superheros."

"Oh, really?" Jesse asked, already caught by the story. "What are their features? How do they catch the bad guys?"

"Oh, they have a lot of features," Sid answered. "And all of them have different ones. First of all, there is the big boss, Mac. He has a great feature, because he can read people's minds. He always knows what they're thinking. He leads the crime lab together with Stella. Her best weapons are her killer heals. With those shoes she can ran so fast you can barely see her. And she can stab people with them."

"Whoa, she can stab them with her shoes?" Jesse asked impressed. "That sounds dangerous."

Sid nodded. "Oh yeah. But their team is as good as them. There is also Dr Hawkes. He has the whole knowledge of the world in his mind and can answer every question. And they have a cop. His name is Flack and he has a really dangerous tie. He can strangle his suspects with them. Or catch them with it."

At this point, Jesse broke out into laughter. Being able to imagine everything pretty good, he could picture Flack with his killer tie.

"That's not everything yet," Sid continued then. "There are two more detectives, called Danny and Lindsay."

"Oh, like my parents!" the little boy exclaimed. "What are their features?"

"Danny is unbreakable. He never gets hurt, no matter what he does. He can jump from one rooftop to another without getting hurt. And Lindsay has a body out of steal. She can tackle down every suspect, no matter how tall and strong they are."

"Wow, that's totally cool," Jesse replied. "And do they have children?"

Sid nodded. "Oh yes. They have a son. Eight years old I think. He's soon going to have a sibling and he is very excited about it. He cannot wait, because it'll be so much fun to play with her and to protect her with his features."

"What are they?" Jesse asked excited. "And how is his name? Is it Jesse? Like mine?"

Again Sid nodded. "Yes. He's called Jesse. And he has a lot of features. He is very smart. And he can feel what people around him feel. He always notices when someone doesn't feel well, but also when someone's happy. And he is very strong. He could grab the bad guys and can throw them till the North Pole."

Again Jesse laughed. "That's very cool! Now please, tell me more!"

And this was what Sid did. The next two hours were spent with him telling Jesse different stories about the adventures of the CSI Superheroes. Jesse listened to him excited all the time. After a while, the little boy got more and more tired until he fell asleep. Smiling, Sid watched the little boy. He loved taking care of him. Although he was adopted by Danny and Lindsay, he was very similar to them in his behaviour in Sid's opinion.

When Stella and Flack returned, Jesse was lying on one of the benches, deep asleep, while Sid took care of him.

"Wow, Sid, how did you manage to get the little monster go to sleep?" Flack asked quietly.

"Just told him one of my stories," Sid answered.

"Oh, hopefully not one of those you always like to tell us," Flack replied, slightly raising his eyebrows.

Sid only smiled in response. "So what about the two of you? According to your smiles, your time away from here must have been worth it."

Sharing a quick glance, both, Flack and Stella, blushed bright red. Yes, they had had a great time. But it wasn't the right moment for revealing their little secret yet.

Meanwhile Danny and Lindsay were still standing at the huge panorama window, enjoying the beautiful view in front of them. Still resting with her back against Danny's chest and with his arms wrapped around her tightly, Lindsay felt an intense warmth spreading through her body. She was still impressed by how much could be said without words. The two of them were doing this so often; all they needed was being close to each other. That was already making them happy enough.

"Did I ever tell you how much I love you?" Danny suddenly said into the silence. The warm tone in his voice caused a smile to lit her face.

"I think the fact that you just married me told me so," Lindsay replied.

Danny didn't answer to that. Instead he started to place gentle kisses along her neck, sending delicious shivers through her body. She wanted to make a comment, but words failed her when she felt his hands roam over her body, his lips never stopping to send new shockwaves through her.

"Ready for our first night as a married couple?" he whispered in a voice so low that it made her shudder. Slowly turning around to him, her eyes meeting his, she saw the intense passion burning in them.

"Definitely," she whispered back.

With that she grabbed the front of his jacket, pulling him closer and into a deep, longing kiss. Their first night as a married couple, and both already knew it was going to be fantastic.


	55. One romantic night

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading and for the sweet reviews! I can't believe how long this story already is. I'm so happy you like it and that you're still reading it. Thank you!**

Feeling Danny's lips on hers, Lindsay closed her eyes, allowing him to pull her closer, tight against him. His hands moved up to tangle in her hair, his tongue gently slipping into her mouth. A soft moan escaped her lips while she felt herself getting lost in the intensity that was the mix of their love and passion for each other.

Slowly moving away from the window, the couple made their way over to the large bed. Lindsay felt her heart beating faster; somehow it reminded her of how she had felt when she had been with Danny for the first time. Everything was tickling inside, it was like everything happened for the first time.

Ever so slowly, Danny let his hands move downwards from Lindsay's hair. His hands brushed over her bare shoulders, making her shudder deliciously. His hands stopped at the zipper of her dress when he gently broke their kiss, letting his mouth travel further down, placing feather-light kisses along her neck.

The dress was unzipped within a second, the soft fabric ended up in a pile of silk on the floor. For a brief moment, Danny, whose shirt was already unbuttoned as well, stopped in his movement.

"Don't stop," Lindsay whispered, opening her eyes to gaze at him. Meeting his eyes, being confronted with the burning passion in them, she shivered lightly.

"Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?" he replied, his voice low and warm.

"I'm not sure?" she answered, despite herself blushing lightly at the way he was looking at her. Admiring her. Even after all the time they were together now, he never failed on having this effect on her.

"You're beautiful," he whispered, pulling her closer again. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Lindsay replied, her eyes already closing.

A moment later, she was lost in the sensation of another deep, passionate kiss. The rest of their clothes was removed quickly before they reached the bed. Carefully Danny lifted her up, just to lie her down on the soft, silky fabric of the bed's cover. For a brief moment he hesitated, looking down at her.

"What?" she asked, grabbing his arms to pull him down to her. "Why are you staring at me?"

"I love you so much, you know that?" he whispered into her ear, placing soft kisses right below it. Lindsay had to squeeze her eyes shut at the sensation. She couldn't reply to that.

And she knew she didn't have to. Danny knew exactly how overwhelmed she was by her own feelings; just like him. Ever so slowly, he made his way down her body until he stopped, right at her bare stomach. Feeling how he placed a soft kiss right onto her sensitive skin, Lindsay shuddered. She felt how his fingers gently traced over her belly, right where their baby was growing. Opening her eyes, she saw the warm smile on his lips, causing her to feel a strong warmth rising inside her. Instinctively feeling she was looking at him, Danny looked up.

"Can you believe all this is real?" he asked, moving back up her body. There faces only inches apart, he drew his hands through her hair, still giving her this warm, soft smile that never failed to affect her.

"It's incredible, I agree," Lindsay replied, almost whispering. "But you know, I think it's true. We are meant to be together. We're a family. We have everything we've always secretly been hoping for." Pulling him closer, she kissed him lightly before she added, "And we'll do everything to stay as happy as we are now."

Danny nodded. "We will," he answered. Smirking lightly at her, he added then, "And now enough talking. We have something else to do this night."

Smirking back at him, Lindsay didn't reply. Instead she pulled him back down to her into another heated kiss. Neither of them doubted that they were meant to be together.

-------

It was late when Stella and Flack arrived at the holiday house again. While Danny and Lindsay would spend their wedding night at a hotel near the city, they'd stay at the farm with Jesse. The little boy had already fallen asleep again in the car on the way back home. The party had been a lot of fun for him, but exhausting as well.

"Oh boy, first he plays the party clown and now he can't even walk up to his own room," Flack said, playfully shaking his head while he picked the little boy up to carry him inside.

"If I were you, I'd not talk too loud," Stella whispered back, chuckling lightly. "He is asleep now. Be glad about that or do you want to spend the whole night with getting him back to sleep?"

As quietly as possible, the two headed upstairs to Jesse's room. Carefully they removed his clothes and lay him down in his bed. But being Jesse, this was enough to make him wake up again.

"Where are Mommy and Daddy?" he asked, still more asleep than awake when he discovered Flack and Stella instead of his parents.

"They're still...uh...celebrating a bit," Flack answered, gently stroking through the boy's short hair.

"Why can't we celebrate with them?" Jesse wanted to know, already sitting up. But carefully, Flack lay him down again.

"I don't think you'd like to, Jess," he answered, covering the boy with his blanket again. "It's a private party and it's very boring for kids, believe me."

"Even you don't want to join them?" the little boy asked, already slowly going back to sleep again.

"No, not really," Flack replied, smiling at the boy. "And now go back to sleep. When you need anything, Auntie Stella and I are next door."

Nodding and yawning, Jesse, wrapped his blanket around himself more tightly. "Okay. Have a good night."

"Have a good night as well, buddy," Flack replied, placing a soft kiss onto his forehead.

While Flack took care of Jesse, waiting for the boy to fall asleep again, he didn't notice he was watched all the time. Stella was still standing in the doorway, watching her boyfriend, who was now her fiancé. Fiancé. Yes, the two of them would marry soon. With his proposal Flack had made one of her biggest wishes come true.

But apart from that, Stella felt another wish becoming more and more urgent. The wish to have her own family. Being close to Danny, Lindsay and Jesse, she was confronted with how wonderful it was to have an own family every day. So it was no surprise she wanted this for herself more and more. Knowing that she and Flack would marry soon as well was already a huge step into the right direction. But deep inside she knew that soon they'd have to have a talk about another topic as well.


	56. The real home

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)**

"Mommy, why do we need to go back home?" Jesse asked, pouting while he was sitting on his already packed suitcase. "I want to stay here, with all the animals and Grandma and Grandpa and with everything. Why can't we stay here?"

"Because this is not our home. We're living in New York," Lindsay answered. "I know you had a lot of fun here, Jesse. And we'll come back here in the next holidays. But now we'll go back home, and I'm pretty sure you'll be happy about that as well. Don't you miss your friends? And school?"

"School?" Jesse asked shocked. "Hell, no. Who misses school?!"

"Jesse!" Lindsay said, having a hard time with staying as serious as possible. Of course Jesse loved going to school, but being a cool boy, he would never admit that. "First- don't say 'hell'. And second- believe me, when you have to work as much as Mommy and Daddy have to work, you'll miss school."

"I don't think so," Jesse contradicted. "So, we'll come back here?"

"Of course. I'm not sure in which holidays, but we will sooner or later," Lindsay answered.

Sighing deeply, Jesse nodded. "Okay, okay. Then I will accept flying back home," the little boy groaned, getting up from the suitcase.

"Alright," Lindsay replied, biting her tongue to not laugh. "Then you can help Uncle Don and Auntie Stella with getting the suitcases to the car?"

"Sure," Jesse sighed, grabbing his own, much smaller one to pull it towards the door.

Chuckling lightly, Lindsay headed back upstairs, where Danny was still busy with packing his own stuff. She had suggested to help him, but he had strictly forbidden any kind of help from her side. Being pregnant definitely had its advantages.

"Jesse finally agreed to come with us back to New York," Lindsay said when she entered the bedroom.

"Oh, really?" Danny asked, with a grin looking up from what he was doing. "Luckily. I was really scared we'd have to stay here because he doesn't want us to go back."

Lindsay only chuckled in response. She walked over to the large window across the room. Once again she was impressed by the amazing view in front of her. To top that, the weather was simply perfect. Deep in her thoughts, Lindsay almost jumped when she felt two arms wrapping around her from behind.

"Are you okay?" Danny whispered into her ear, placing a gentle kiss onto her cheek.

"Of course," Lindsay answered. "Why?"

"Oh, I'm just asking," he replied. "Because I'm wondering if Jesse is the only one who doesn't want to go back to New York."

Knowing Danny good enough now, Lindsay knew exactly what he was thinking about. But, like the last time he had been worrying about this topic, she'd be able to please him with her answer.

"You know I already told you where my home is, right?" she more stated than asked, grabbing his hands to pull him even closer against her back. "My home is where you and Jesse are. Where my friends are. Where my job is. Danny, my home is in New York, okay? I was born and raised here and I will always love coming back to Montana. But my home isn't here anymore. It's in New York, believe me."

Lindsay could almost feel the smile that lit Danny's face. Of course her husband knew she wouldn't just want to stay in Montana. But she also knew he got insecure very easily anyway.

"It was good to hear it from you again anyway," he said, placing a soft kiss into her hair. His hands travelled down the front of her body until they came to rest on her still flat belly.

"This vacation was amazing, wasn't it?" he said then. "We found out we're going to have a baby. We married."

Lindsay nodded. "Yes. And our two best friends are engaged now."

"Oh, right," Danny replied, smirking. "I almost forgot. True, Flack finally dared to make the huge step and ask his Stella to marry him. Do you think they'll marry as quickly as we did? And again here in Montana?"

Lindsay shrugged. "No idea. I don't think they'll marry here. But...well, I think at least Stella doesn't want to wait too long anymore."

"Possible," Danny answered. The two of them were silent for a bit, enjoying the view in front of them and the comfort of their loving embrace. Neither of them really wanted their holidays to end. The time they had spent in Montana, had been a wonderful experience for all of them.

It had been their first vacation together; their first vacation as a family and together with their friends. For Lindsay it had been an opportunity to visit her parents and her old home again. And if this wasn't already exciting enough, the baby and the wedding had been amazing experiences as well.

Neither of them wanted their holidays to end, but deep inside, both, Danny and Lindsay, couldn't wait to get back to New York again. It was their real home.

A few minutes later, all suitcases were packed and back in the car. Saying good-bye to Madeleine and Harry wasn't easy, for neither of them. They had had a great time with the family and all of the five were determined to come back for another visit soon.

"Are you glad you can go back to a real city now?" Lindsay asked Stella while they followed Danny, Flack and Jesse to the car.

Stella shrugged. "I'm not sure. I liked it here, a lot. But I think I missed the city as well. It's a lot different."

"That it is," Lindsay agreed. They walked in silence for a moment before she added, "So you and Don will marry. Did you already tell him about your other wish?"

"What do you mean?" Stella asked, causing Lindsay to chuckle.

"What do I mean? I'm talking about your other huge wish," she answered. "Your wish about having your own child. Did you already tell him about that?"

"Oh, no," Stella replied, shaking her head. "Not yet. I think it'd be too much for now. I mean, we're going to marry. This is already a huge step."

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah, that's true. I don't think you have to wait that long though. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"Yeah, maybe. We'll see," Stella answered.

Lindsay didn't reply to that. From Danny she knew how much Flack loved Stella and how much he was looking forward to having his own little family with her. She wouldn't interfere though. Both of them would be there to help their friends, like they had helped them all the time. But the talking they'd have to do on their own. And knowing them it was for sure they'd handle this talk pretty well.


	57. Finally a real family

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing and for adding the fic to your favourites and alerts. :)**

"Good morning, Jesse. Wake up," Lindsay said softly She knelt down next to her son's bed and started to gently stroke through his short, dark hair. This was the usual way she tried to wake him up when he had school.

"I don't want to," Jesse mumbled into his pillow. "I'm sure the cows can wait another few minutes."

Chuckling, Lindsay answered, "Jesse, we're not in Montana anymore. We're back at home, in New York. And unfortunately you have to get up, because it's school again."

When he looked at her briefly, Lindsay could see the disappointment in Jesse's eyes. She knew the boy still needed to get used to being back at home. Although they had only been in Montana for two weeks, he had felt like home in her old home. He had loved getting up early to join his grandfather in the barn with the cows. He had enjoyed living together with his parents and his Uncle Don and Auntie Stella. He had loved the different landscape and how much time his parents had been able to spend with him.

Now they were back. Danny and Lindsay would have to work again, Flack and Stella weren't sharing the house with them anymore and he'd have to go back to school. No, Jesse wasn't happy about that at all, this was for sure.

"I don't want to go," the little boy repeated, rolling on his back. "I don't feel well anyway."

With that he grabbed Lindsay's hand and rested it against his forehead. "You feel that? I'm sure I have a temperature."

But Lindsay shook her head. "No, sweetie. Your head is fine. I know, you'd still love to have holidays. But that's not possible. We'll visit Grandma and Grandpa soon again. But until this time, you'll have to be a good boy and go to school."

Jesse stared back at her, obviously thinking about what to reply. But then he only sighed and got up. Without saying any other word, he left his bed and headed over to the bathroom. Lindsay watched him till the bathroom door closed behind him. She felt sorry for him. Since they were back and Jesse knew he'd have to go to school again, he had been unusually quiet. She had tried to make him talk more than once, but Jesse being Jesse hadn't revealed anything.

"Did you managed to get him out of his bed?" Danny asked when Lindsay joined him in the kitchen.

"Yes," she answered, sitting down at the kitchen table. Still thinking, she stared at the table in front of her.

Danny, who wasn't used to such short answers, turned around to her. "And?"

"And what?" Lindsay asked back, not sure what he meant.

"What are you worrying about then?" Danny wanted to know. Turning his attention away from the stove for a moment, he focussed on his wife. He knew her too good to notice when something was on.

"I'm not worrying," Lindsay answered. "Well, not really. I just...I'm wondering if he is okay. He's never quiet like this. He also loves going to school. He never tried to fake a temperature or anything. I know, I could be totally overreacting, but...Danny, he's my son. I can feel that something is wrong."

Although Danny could see the concern in Lindsay's eyes, he couldn't help but smile lightly. Yes, she was his mother. And the best example that one didn't have to be someone's biological mother to sense when the child didn't feel well.

"Lindsay, I'm sure he's just sad that the holidays are over," Danny explained. "But if you feel better, I will try and talk to him later, okay?"

Lindsay only nodded in response. Danny could understand that she was worried. When it came to his family, Danny was easily worried himself. With Jesse the problem was that usually the boy refused talking when he didn't feel well. He could clearly remember what a hard time he had had at the beginning. It had taken him ages to make the little boy talk about his fears and nightmares. This had gotten better with the time, but Jesse was still used to this behaviour.

Around an hour later, Danny was on his way to Jesse's school. He was watching the little boy through the rare view mirror. Again Jesse's behaviour was different. Usually the boy talked so much that Danny could hardly concentrate on traffic. This time though he was only staring out of his own window, obviously lost in his thoughts.

When Jesse was lost in his thoughts, this wasn't something bad in particular. Mostly though, so much knew Danny, he was thinking about things that hurt him. Like his past. He still hadn't figured out whether he should simply let him be alone with himself for a while or if he should interfere.

"I'm sure you and your friends will have a lot to talk about," he made an attempt at making the boy speak.

"Yeah," was the brief response. Jesse threw a short glance at his father before he looked back out of the window again.

This didn't change until they arrived at the boy's school. After Danny had parked the car, he turned around in his seat. Jesse was just trying to unbuckle his seatbelt, still with the same expression in his eyes. When he moved to open the door, Danny interrupted him.

"Wait a moment," he said. Turning around, waiting for an explanation for why he had to wait, Jesse sat back in his former position. When he didn't respond, Danny added, "What's wrong, Jess? And don't say nothing. I told you to not lie."

"Nothing is wrong," Jesse replied anyway. "Only because I don't want to talk or what? I was just thinking. And I'm tired."

"Are you sure about that?" Danny wanted to know. "You know you can tell me everything, buddy. No matter what it is."

Jesse only stared back for another moment before he broke the eye contact again. This brief moment though was enough for Danny to see the rising tears. This was a reaction he hadn't expected. Quickly he left the car to join his son on the backseat. At this point Jesse was already sobbing lightly; a sight that never failed to break his heart.

"Did something happen?" he asked softly.

Jesse shook his head, finally looking up at his father again. "No. I just...don't want to go back to school."

"And why not?" Danny wanted to know. "Is someone mean to you at school?"

Again he shook his head. "No. Everyone is friendly. But...I...just want to stay with you and Mommy. At home. I don't want to go to school alone."

"But..." Danny started to reply, but then stopped. Watching his son closely, combined with everything he knew about him and the things he tried to tell him, he slowly started to understand.

"The time in Montana has been great, right?" he said, his voice low and warm, while he was rubbing his son's back. "We could be together all day. Like a real family. The whole day, for two entire weeks."

Jesse nodded, but didn't speak. Instead he crawled over to his father and closed his arms around him tightly.

"Why can't it be like this all the time?" the little boy asked. "I have my Daddy and my Mommy. I want to be together with you more."

"I know, sweetie, I know," Danny answered. While Jesse clung to him, still crying, he kept on rubbing his back to calm him down. He knew where those tears were coming from. Since the murder, Jesse hadn't really had a real family. Of course Danny had tried his best to be a good father and he knew he had done it well. But anyway there had been no mother and no grandparents.

Now Jesse had experienced something he had been missing so badly. A real family. His mother, his father, his uncle and aunt, his grandparents and their friends. And after such a long and for the boy hard time, he didn't want to let go of that. He wanted everything to stay like this. Going back to school was one of the steps he wasn't ready to make at the moment.

"Listen, Jesse," Danny said then. "I know what you mean. Unfortunately you can't stay at home. But I can promise you something else. I promise Mommy and I will try everything to spend as much time together with you as possible. Same counts for Uncle Don and Auntie Stella. We'll visit your other grandparents and Uncle Louie more often. And in the next holidays, we'll try to visit your grandparents in Montana again. Is that a good idea?"

To his relief, Jesse nodded. Loosening his grip, the little boy moved backwards so he could look at his father.

"We'll really do that? When I go to school without complaining?" he wanted to know.

Danny nodded. "Of course."

For the first time this day, a smile lit Jesse's face. "Okay. Then I will go now. And I will tell everyone of my cool holidays."

"That's a good idea," Danny replied, smiling as well.

A few minutes later, Danny was already on his way back home again. He was glad he could tell Lindsay that he had found out what had been bothering their son. And he was determined to keep his promise.


	58. Flack and Jesse

**A/N: Thanks for the sweet reviews. And thanks to everyone who's reading this story.**

"Oh, good morning," Flack greeted when he entered the break room. "Are you the new CSI? I'm glad to meet you."

Looking up from his table, Jesse laughed. "You're funny, Uncle Don."

"I know," Flack replied, joining the little boy at the table he was sitting at. "So, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at school? I'm not sure your Mommy and Daddy would like the idea of you quitting school to immediately turn into a CSI."

"Oh, we were allowed to go earlier," Jesse answered. "I'm waiting for Mommy to take me home."

"Oh, right," Flack answered. During the last few weeks, Lindsay had reduced her working hours. Because she was pregnant and Danny wanted her to work less anyway. So she was able to pick Jesse up after school so he didn't have to be alone. She could pick him up and take him home where they could have lunch and spend the rest of the day together.

"Do you know when she comes here?" Jesse asked then.

"I'm sure she can finish work soon," Flack answered. "But I have lunch break now. If you want I can join you here a bit."

"Oh, cool!" Jesse replied excited. He loved spending time with his uncle.

Flack also enjoyed taking care of the little boy. Since Danny had decided to take care of Jesse, he had always offered his help, whether Danny needed help and support or a babysitter. Flack loved being around children. He had been impressed by Danny's decision to adopt the boy. He himself couldn't deny that he also had the wish to have own children one day. This had been difficult mostly, because if he didn't want to adopt a child and be a single Dad like Danny had been for a long while, he needed a woman at his side.

This was different now though. Since Flack was together with Stella, a lot had changed. She was the first woman he really loved. He had had several longer relationship and, different from Danny, he had never had a problem with thinking about a serious relationship, about falling in love and about having a family one day. The women though hadn't been the ones he had wished to have a child with.

This had changed when he got together with Stella. He had confessed his love. He had asked her to marry him. He also knew that sooner or later he'd ask her about her opinion about having children. Then maybe he'd have his own children soon. His own family. What a great idea!

"So, what are we going to do now?" Flack asked. "What do you want to do?"

"You could tell me about your job," Jesse suggested.

"Hm, yeah, why not. I could do that," Flack agreed. "You know what? You can ask me questions and I will try and answer them as good as possible."

"Cool!" Jesse exclaimed. "Okay. Do you have a lot to do with really, really bad guys?"

"Sometimes," Flack answered. "Not all of them are dangerous, bad guys. Sometimes they just didn't think about that what they did was wrong."

"Oh, can this happen easily?" Jesse wanted to know. "That you do something wrong and have to go into prison although you didn't expect it?"

"No," Flack replied. "No, it's not like that. Usually those are things like breaking into a shop or stuff. But you know things like stealing or beating someone up are wrong, right?"

"Of course," Jesse agreed. He hesitated for a moment before he asked his next question. "Is it really dangerous what you're doing?"

"Sometimes," Flack said again. "But not always."

"But it's true you have to follow suspects? Even when they can shoot you?" Jesse asked.

"Yeah. But we have vests to protect ourselves. And we have guns," he explained.

"Do Mommy and Daddy have that, too?" the little boy wanted to know then.

"Of course they do."

Flack wanted to say more, but then stopped. For a moment, he only watched Jesse. The talk had started as a normal question-and-answer game. But now he noticed that it was slowly turning into something else. Jesse was turning the talk into another direction and he could imagine why.

"Jesse, you don't have to worry about your Mommy and your Daddy," he explained then. "Really. Danny doesn't do the really dangerous things anymore, like chasing a suspect and stuff. And your Mommy isn't doing that anyway. Processing evidence, working at the crime scenes and here in the lab isn't dangerous."

"Are you sure about that?" Jesse asked, still not completely convinced.

Flack nodded. "Yes. You aren't worrying about them, are you?"

Jesse shrugged. "Sometimes I am. I mean...I don't want them to get shot or hurt. Like...you know."

Again Flack hesitated. He hadn't expected that this talk would become that intense. Until now, all conversations with Jesse had been about the boy's toys or about school or his friends. He had never really told him anything about his job and he had never talked to him about the boy's past at all.

What was he supposed to do now? Should he ask Jesse more? Should he drop the topic and talk about something else? He didn't know it. The only way he could react was following his instinct.

"Don't be afraid," he said then. "This won't happen again. Your Mommy and Daddy are doing this job for a long time now, and they know how to protect themselves. And me and Auntie Stella and all the others will take care of them as well."

"Really?" Jesse asked.

Again Flack nodded. "Really. There is really no need to worry."

The little boy had been watching him with a serious and slightly scared gaze. Now finally a little smile lit his face. Flack released a tiny, relieved sigh. He hadn't been sure he'd be able to handle Jesse's fear. His fear of having to go through the events from his past again. Once he had told Danny to listen to his instincts. Now he had done it as well and it had worked.

But before he could say more, he saw Danny and Lindsay approaching.

"Hey the two of you," Danny greeted them.

"Hey," Flack greeted back. To Jesse, he said, "See, I told you they'd come soon."

Smiling, Jesse nodded. He climbed down from his chair before he rushed over to Lindsay.

"Can we go home now?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered. "Can I decide what we'll cook?"

"Of course," Lindsay answered. To Danny and Flack she said, "Okay, I think we'll go now. See you later."

Giving Danny a brief kiss, Lindsay turned around to head to the elevators.

"See you, Uncle Don," Jesse said, waving at him.

"See you, Jess," Flack answered.

Then he watched the little boy running to the elevators as well. And while watching Jesse, he realised that his wish to have children was becoming stronger and stronger. He and Stella would have to have a talk about that soon.


	59. Daddies

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

"Hey wifey," Danny said, knocking against the door when he joined Lindsay in their shared office. "How is it going?"

Looking up from her file, Lindsay raised her eyebrows, glaring at him. "What did you just call me? Didn't I tell you 'wifey' is forbidden?"

"But it's so much fun," Danny whined playfully. "Especially when you get mad at me."

"You like it when your pregnant wife gets made at you?" Lindsay asked, shaking her head at him.

"Oh, come on, Montana," Danny said, smiling. He loved when they teased each other like that. "I know you love me."

"I do," Lindsay answered, turning her attention back to her file. "But only when you don't call me wifey."

"I'm sorry," Danny replied, leaning against her desk now, watching her. "But Montana is okay, right?"

"Yeah," she said.

"And then you're happy? When I call you Montana?" Danny continued asking, smirking down at her. He didn't even know why, but sometimes he couldn't help it. Sometimes he just had to tease her. As long as he didn't go too far of course.

"Danny, please," Lindsay answered, looking up at him again. "I can't concentrate."

"Why not? I know, I'm hot and you can't get enough of me, but that I'm distracting you that much..."

"Danny," Lindsay interrupted him, a light warning in her voice now. "Please, don't distract me, only for a few minutes."

"And what am I going to do? I'm bored."

"Then... no idea. Go to the break room. I'm hungry," she answered.

"Then go and eat something," Danny replied. When she looked at him, once again raising her eyebrows, he sighed playfully and nodded. "Okay, okay. I'm going. See you later."

"Thank you," Lindsay answered satisfied.

Placing a soft kiss onto the top of her head, he gave her another little smile before he left the office again and headed to the break room. Still smiling, he looked through the food he could find in the fridge. Since Lindsay was pregnant, Danny loved taking care of her and doing things like cooking for her. He'd even get up in the middle of the night to go and buy her something, just to make her happy.

"Hey Danny," a familiar voice interrupted him in his thoughts.

Turning around, Danny noticed Flack, who had just joined him in the break room. With one look Danny realised that something was bugging his friend. He had this expression; something was on and he wanted to talk about it.

"What up, Don?" Danny asked, heading over to one of the tables, signalling him to join him.

"Oh, nothing," Flack replied, instantly blushing lightly. He knew his friend could read his mind too good.

"Nice try, Don," Danny answered. "Now spit it out. What's wrong?"

Staring back at his friend, Flack hesitated for a moment. There was indeed something he'd like to talk about. But like most of the time, he didn't know how to start.

"Does it have to do with Stella?" Danny continued asking to make it easier for his friend.

"How do you know?" Flack asked surprised.

Chuckling, Danny shook his head at his friend. "What do you think? I know you, Don. And apart from that; what else should you be worrying about? So, what's on?"

Sighing lightly, Flack leant back in his chair. He could really understand why Danny hadn't been a fan of talking about his feelings when he had been younger. Obviously he didn't enjoy it either. It wasn't easy to reveal what was going on inside a person, especially when emotions where involved.

"Did you ever have this wish to have own children?" he asked then. "Did you ever feel this wish?"

Raising his eyebrows, Danny asked, "Do you really need me to answer that? You do know that I already have two children, and both were more or less planned?"

"Yeah, yeah," Flack answered, running his hands through his short hair. "But...when you decided to adopt Jesse...or when you decided to take care of him...how did you know you were ready for that? Did you have the wish for an own child?"

"Not really to be honest," Danny answered. "You know why I decided to take care of Jesse; because I didn't want him to go into orphanage. And I adopted him because with the time he had become something like my son anyway. I think that's different from...let's say a normal wish for a kid."

"Okay," Flack admitted. "But...before Lindsay got pregnant, the two of you talked about having a baby, right?"

"Of course."

"And how did this talk go? How did you come to the decision you want to have a second child? Did you make a plan or something? Did you talk about the advantages and disadvantages? Or did you just say you want to go for it?"

Listening to Flack, Danny couldn't help the smile that lit his face. He knew exactly why Flack was asking all those questions.

"We aren't really talking about me here, right?" he asked then. "Why don't you just tell me that you want a child with Stella?"

Now blushing even more, Flack shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because...I'm not really sure this is what I really want?"

"Okay," Danny replied, leaning forward. "Then tell me; do you like spending time with Jesse? And I don't mean taking care of him for one or two hours. Did you enjoy the time we spend together with him in Montana?"

Flack nodded. "Of course. It was great. It could be exhausting sometimes, sure, but I liked it anyway."

"Good. And could you imagine how it'd be like to have a child yourself? To have a baby? To have this little person you have to take care of, you're responsible for? Could you imagine that you and Stella would have a child you'd raise together, as a family, with all the good and funny sides as much as with all the exhausting and hard sides?"

Flack needed a moment to think about his answers. Those were a lot of questions. A lot of important questions. But what was he really thinking? What was he thinking about his own little family, thinking about both, the good and the not so good sides of having an own child? If he was honest though, the answer was very easy.

"Yes," he said then, surprised by his own determination. "Yes, I'm ready for that. I'd even say it'd be the best that could happen to me and Stella."

Smiling satisfied at the answer he had already expected anyway, Danny answered, "Then go for it. Don't make a plan. Or a list with the advantages and disadvantages. There will always be arguments against it. But after all they're not important when you want your own family. Of course it's not going to be easy. But it doesn't matter. I know how much you love your fiancee and you'll be a great team."

"You think so?" Flack asked, still a light doubt in his voice.

Danny nodded determined. "Definitely."

Flack needed another moment before a smile finally lit his face.

"Danny, do you even know what great friends you and Lindsay are?" he asked then. "You have no idea how grateful I am for your help."

"You're more than welcome," Danny replied smiling. "Especially after all you've done for us. Whenever you need help or support, you can come to us."

"I will," Flack answered, already getting up from his chair. "Thank you so much."

With that he quickly left the break room again, leaving his smiling friend sitting at the table. Of course Danny understood how his best friend was feeling; he and Lindsay were grateful for having him and Stella as their best friends. And both of them were determined to support their friends as much as they had supported them.


	60. Questions

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing! And for reading! :)**

"Mommy?" Jesse asked, like most of the time half sitting, half standing on his chair.

"Yes?" Lindsay asked while she decorated the muffins she had just baked.

"Why does Auntie Stella visit us so often? And Uncle Don?" the little boy asked.

"Because they like being here," Lindsay answered. "Because they like seeing us. Why? Don't you like it when they're here?"

"What? No!" Jesse exclaimed. "I totally love it when they're here! But why don't they move in here then? I mean, in Montana we all lived together and it was very cool. So why do they have to visit us when they could simply move in with us?"

"Because they have their own place," Danny, who just entered the kitchen as well, answered.

"But why?" Jesse asked. "Here it's much cooler."

"But sometimes Uncle Don and Auntie Stella need to be alone as well," Danny explained, walking over to Lindsay.

"But..." Jesse started again. "Daddy, that's no reason."

"They need their own place," Danny answered, stepping next to Lindsay, who was already grinning at the all so typical conversations between father and son. "And although we have a really nice house, it's too small for all of us."

Jesse already opened his mouth to contradict, but Danny was faster and added, "That's the reason, Jesse. No 'but' anymore, okay?"

"Oh, that's mean," the little boy replied, leaning back in his chair, pouting.

Smirking, Danny didn't reply to that. Instead he turned his attention to his wife. "I will go to Don now. I think I'll be back in around three hours."

"Okay," Lindsay answered. "Have a nice afternoon."

"Have a nice afternoon yourself," Danny answered. Resting his hand on her back, he turned her around a little and bent forward to kiss her gently.

"Oh, Daddy!" Jesse exclaimed. "Why do you always have to do that? Adults are weird."

"Yes, they are," Danny answered, giving Lindsay a smirk before he turned to leave the kitchen again. "So, buddy, be friendly and don't ask so many questions."

"We'll see," Jesse answered, grinning.

Lindsay needed to bite her lips to prevent herself from laughing. While Jesse was a very well raised boy and listened to what his parents were telling him, he anyway loved to try out how far he could go before they'd stop him. She had also discovered that Jesse's behaviour was quite similar to Danny's; for her a clear proof that children learnt a lot from their parents and behaviour wasn't just something given that wasn't possible to be changed.

Around half an hour later, Stella arrived at their house. It was Friday and Danny and Flack had decided to spend some time together; their 'lonely wolf time' how they called it. In reality this only meant the two men sat at home, drank a few beer, watched sport and talked about it, without any child or woman interrupting them. Lindsay and Stella were both fine with that; it gave them just another opportunity to meet.

"Auntie Stella?" Jesse asked while Stella removed her jacket. "Why don't you and Uncle Don move in here with us? Daddy said the house is too small and you need your own place, but I don't think that's a reason."

Chuckling, Stella looked up at Lindsay who gave her an excusing smile. Jesse's hobby to question everyone and everything was already famous.

"Well, I think your Daddy is right," she answered then. "And- wouldn't it be boring if Don and I lived here as well? Then our visits wouldn't be something special anymore."

Jesse narrowed his eyebrows for a moment; something he always did when he thought about something. Then he shrugged, "Maybe you're right." Turning around to his mother, he asked, "Can I go upstairs and play till we eat the muffins?"

"Of course," Lindsay answered, once again amused by how quickly the little boy managed to change the topic. Without asking any more questions, he turned around and rushed to the stairs.

"This was a very good answer," Lindsay said while the two women sat down on the living room couch. "Danny's explanations didn't convince him at all."

"It always works when someone else than the parents explains something," Stella answered laughing.

"That's true," Lindsay agreed. "Or it shows that you know how to deal with children."

At her second sentence, Lindsay noticed how Stella blushed immediately. She knew this topic was still up to date; maybe even more now than before. From Danny she knew that Flack was thinking about own children for a while now and she knew that Stella's thoughts weren't any different.

"How are you by the way?" Stella asked before Lindsay could focus more on her.

"Oh, I'm very good," Lindsay answered, resting her hand on her still flat belly. "Apart from the morning sickness I feel really great."

"That's nice," Stella replied. "I'm so happy for the two of you. You really deserve all this; your wedding, your children. It's so wonderful to see how happy you are."

"Thank you," Lindsay said, knowing exactly what her friend was trying to do; on the one side she didn't want to talk about herself, on the other side there were a lot of things she wanted to get out. "Did you already talk to Don?"

"About what?" Stella asked back, but when she saw how Lindsay raised her eyebrows at her, she sighed. "We need to talk about me now, right?"

Smiling, Lindsay nodded. "You remember how you told me to talk to Danny? About my wish to have a baby? That's what I did and look; now I'm pregnant. I won't stop asking you until you talked to him."

"It's not that easy though," Stella replied, leaning back against the back of the couch with a sigh. "I mean, when we went to Montana, I never expected to come back home engaged. Don and I are going to marry; that's something that is already so amazing and incredible. I shouldn't ask for more and should be happy with that for now."

"But who says you can't have both?" Lindsay wanted to know. "I know, you're going to marry him and that's already a huge step, and a lot to do as well. But this doesn't mean you can't have a baby as well. You also shouldn't forget- it takes a few months before the baby will be born. There is still enough time between the wedding and the birth then."

"Yes, that's true. But...he asked me to marry him. I should be happy with that; it was already a big step, like you said," Stella said. "So. Jesse said you made muffins?"

But Lindsay wasn't willing to change the topic yet. The more she listened to her friend the more she realised that Stella tried to convince herself from something that was far away from what she in fact wanted to happen.

"What are you afraid of, Stella?" she asked, ignoring the other woman's wish to change the topic. When Stella looked at her with huge eyes, she added, "Come on, I know you. You're just too similar to me sometimes. What are you afraid of? This man loves you so much and I know how much you want a child with him. Why do you try to convince yourself from the opposite?"

Acting by instinct, Stella tried to come up with an excuse or an explanation. Seeing the serious and concerned expression in her best friend's eyes though, she changed her mind. She needed another moment before she answered.

"I'm just afraid I'm asking for too much," she said then. "You know, my former relationships haven't been the best and I had almost stopped to wait for the right one to come. Now I know I finally met him and he even wants to marry me. I...still feel like I'm dreaming. I don't want to ruin that because I can't get enough."

Nodding in response, Lindsay was silent for a moment. She could completely understand where Stella's fear was coming from; she had what she had been waiting for for such a long time and now was scared she could lose it because she had another huge wish. Lindsay knew her wish wouldn't scare Flack away at all, but Stella didn't know that. She struggled with herself, wondering what she could do.

But the longer she looked into her friend's eyes, seeing the hope and wish for an answer that could help her, she pushed her doubts away. This topic had nothing to do with a surprise, like the proposal. It was important for the couple's relationship and she didn't want to wait and see.

"If I were you I wouldn't worry about that," she said then. When Stella gave her a questioning look, she explained, "Coincidentally I know that your fiancé has the same wish you have. If I were you I would talk to him, without being scared."

Stella kept on staring at her in surprise for another few moments before she was able to answer.

"Are you sure?" she wanted to know.

Lindsay nodded. "Yes, I am. Just trust in me. Go to him and talk to him. Tell him you want a baby, and don't be scared."

She saw how Stella thought about her answer for a moment. Then, to her relief, a smile lit her best friend's face.

"Okay," she answered then. "Okay, I will just try it."

"Very good," Lindsay replied, smiling. "You'll be surprised by his reaction."

Stella only nodded in response, smiling as well. Lindsay knew how important it was to talk; she and Danny were talking a lot themselves. And she was glad that she had been able to relieve her best friend; she was certain that Flack's answer to her wish wouldn't just be a surprise but would make her very happy as well.


	61. Wishes and confessions

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)**

"I'm back home," Stella shouted when she entered the apartment. Like always, she stopped in the hallway for a moment, with a smile taking in what was their place. She didn't really know when she had officially moved in with Flack. Actually she had already been living at this place before her whole boxes had been moved to this place and before another woman had moved into her old apartment.

"Don, where are you?" she asked when she didn't get an answer from her fiancé.

"Wait, Stella, don't move!" Flack's voice echoed from somewhere out of the kitchen. But his warning came too late. Knowing that the kitchen was pretty much his favourite place, she had gone straight to the small room, just to stop in surprise at what she discovered there.

"Wow," she said, impressed taking in the lovingly decorated dining table. "You arranged a dinner for me?"

Flack, still fighting with a wine bottle, nodded, looking a little disappointed though. "I wanted to surprise you, but I should have known you'd be faster."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Stella replied, walking over to him to give him a gentle kiss. "You surprised me, really. I didn't expect to come home and find this wonderful candle light dinner."

Now smiling again, Flack nodded. "Good to know. Then sit down already. Dinner is finished in a minute."

A few minutes later, the couple was enjoying dinner together. Until now they hadn't really spoken much during the last minutes; both were too impressed by how good the food actually was.

"You really did that on your own?" Stella asked, taking a sip of the red wine; very delicious as well, but she already knew that Flack had a surprisingly good taste in wine.

"Yes, I did," Flack answered, blushing lightly. "Well, with a tiny bit help from Danny. But most of the stuff I did on my own. Really."

Chuckling, Stella nodded. "Don't worry, I believe you."

They were silent for another few minutes. When Stella had left after Danny had come back home, she had been determined that today she'd talk to Flack about her wish to have a baby. On her way home she had already prepared her words; she knew exactly what she wanted to say and how she wanted to say it. Yes, she even had been quite calm so far; after what Lindsay had told her about Flack wanting the same, she wasn't as afraid anymore as she had been before. But now suddenly she was confronted with another situation and a question was burning in her mind.

"What did I do to deserve such a romantic dinner?" she wanted to know.

Again Flack blushed. "Well...because I love you of course. And...I would like to talk to you...about something."

Stella could clearly hear the nervousness in his voice and her eyes widened in surprise. Although he hadn't told her yet why he wanted to talk to her, a suspicion suddenly popped into her mind. Was it possible...?

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked, feeling how her heart started to beat faster. Actually he could want to talk about anything and everything, but deep inside she couldn't help the thought that this conversation was going to be more special than any other before. Why else should he surprise her with dinner? He had already proposed.

Flack blushed even more. He needed a moment before he could answer. Taking a deep breath to stay calm, he started.

"I know...everything between us is happening very quickly," he said, having a hard time with keeping his eyes locked with hers. "But my favourite example always are Danny and Lindsay. When you look at them you see that you don't have to be together for ages to build up a strong relationship. That's why I already asked you to marry me. I...know you're the perfect woman for me and I love you. But...well, I know maybe I'm asking for too much and we don't have to decide about that now. I just...want you to know something. I want you to know that I want a real family with you. When I watch our two friends, I realise more and more how much I want that myself." He paused for a moment before he added, "Stella, I want children with you. Of course we need to talk about that and we can wait until you're ready for that; that's for sure. But I want you to know how much I want my own children, together with you. No matter when."

After he had finished his surprisingly long speech, Flack looked at Stella, nervously waiting for a reaction from her. Stella needed a moment to realise what he had just tried to tell her. What Lindsay had told her had been right. He had the same wish. And he had been brave enough to tell her about it, because he wanted a family as much as she wanted it herself.

"Of course we can wait..." he started again when she hadn't answered after a couple of minutes, but Stella interrupted him quickly.

"No," she said. "I mean no, we don't have to wait. And I don't think we need to talk about that much more. Don, I...when I came here, I also wanted to talk to you. About the same thing."

"Really?" Flack asked. Now it was his turn to stare at her in surprise.

Stella nodded. "Yes. Lindsay told me I should tell you how much I want children myself and that's what I wanted to do. I agree with everything you just told me. They're the best example that time isn't important when you really love each other. I want to marry you and I want children with you. I know I love you and I don't think there is any need to wait any longer."

Before she had even finished, she saw how Flack's expression changed once again. He was smiling now and she could even see the first tears rising in his eyes.

"You have no idea how happy you make me with that," he said, taking her hands into his.

"I think I know it exactly," Stella replied, smiling as well. Oh yes, she knew how he felt now. Because she was feeling the same way.

--------

"Okay, I think Jesse has all his toys in the bathtub now," Danny said when he walked down the stairs back into the living room. "I left the door open and I told him to not set the whole bathroom under water again. Otherwise he can clean it up the next time." Stopping next to Lindsay, who was sitting on the couch, he raised his eyebrows at his wife. "Did you hear me, Montana?"

"What?" Snapping out of her thoughts, Lindsay looked up at him with huge eyes. "Oh, sorry, I was just in my thoughts."

"Yeah, that's what I saw," Danny answered, sitting down next to her. When a huge smile lit Lindsay's face, he added, "Okay, so at least it was something good. Would you mind to share your thoughts?"

"What would you say if Don and Stella would have their own children soon?" she asked back.

"That'd be great," Danny replied. "Why?"

"Because I think that it'd happen soon," she answered. "Because I had a nice little talk to Stella about that, and I think she's finally ready to tell him about it."

"Seriously?" Danny asked surprised. "Wow, great minds really think alike, huh?"

"What do you mean?" Lindsay wanted to know.

Now it was Danny's turn to smile at her. "I mean that coincidentally I know that Don wants to talk about the same topic tonight. He even arranged a candle light dinner for her."

"Oh, wow!" Lindsay almost exclaimed. "Who would have expected it'd be that easy." Smiling even more, she paused a moment, thinking about what their two friends were possibly just talking about. "Can you believe that? I can still remember how they kissed for the first time on the New Year's Eve, and now they're going to marry and they want to have a baby."

"Yeah," Danny answered. "Perfect fit. They remind me of us."

"That they do," Lindsay agreed.

With that Lindsay moved closer to Danny, snuggling against him while he closed his arms around her. Their two best friends were going to be a real little family, just like them.


	62. Don't ignore me

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! :) Here's finally a new chapter.**

Lindsay was standing in the kitchen while cooking lunch throwing random brief glances out of the kitchen window. She and Danny didn't have to work this afternoon and so they wanted to use the opportunity to finally have lunch together in the middle of the week. She had decided to cook Jesse's favourite meal; pasta. A few minutes earlier Danny had called her and had told her he had just picked their son up at school. Only a few more minutes and they'd arrive.

All the time, Lindsay was smiling. Although she was living this family life for a while now, she still couldn't really believe it. She and Danny had a son and soon would have a second child. And this had happened within such a short time. It was simply amazing.

Lindsay didn't have to wait long. A few minutes later; she had just finished cooking, the large van parked in front of their house. But the moment Jesse left the car, Lindsay knew something was wrong. The boy didn't do anything special, but his facial expression was saying more than words.

A moment later, Danny and Jesse entered the house. But instead of coming into the kitchen, like always after school, asking what Lindsay was doing and what they'd have for lunch, he went straight up to his room. At least at this point Lindsay knew Jesse had a problem with something.

"What happened?" she asked when Danny joined her in the kitchen.

"You mean Jesse?" Danny asked back. "I have no idea. Since I picked him up, he was like that. I asked him what's wrong and if he doesn't want to talk about it, but he didn't say anything."

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah. But something must be on."

"Of course," Danny agreed with her, sighing. "I just wish I knew what. But we can't force him to talk."

"But we can't wait until he decides he wants to come to us or just let him be alone with whatever is bothering him," Lindsay replied. "What do you think...do you think maybe I could talk to him?"

"Why not?" Danny asked, sitting down at the kitchen table. "He didn't want to talk to me, but maybe he wants to talk to you. And if he doesn't, we'll try it together."

Lindsay nodded. This was an idea. Neither of them knew which problem Jesse had, but maybe it was easier for him to talk to his mother than to his father? They didn't know it, but it was worth a try.

While Lindsay headed upstairs though, she felt herself getting more and more nervous the closer she got to the child's room. She remembered her last in depth talk with Jesse. It had been when he had told her about his memories of what had happened to his parents. The little boy trusted in her and she knew when she listened to her instinct, she would be able to handle another talk like this. It wasn't easy anyway though.

Arriving at Jesse's door, Lindsay noticed the door wasn't closed. Carefully she opened it. When she entered the room, she discovered her son, lying on his bed, staring at the wall in front of him. She hesitated for a moment before she stepped closer.

"Hey Jesse," she said softly. "Can I come in?"

"No idea," the quiet voice of the little boy answered.

At least he hadn't told her to go and so Lindsay quietly closed the door behind her and headed over to the bed. She sat down at the edge of it, watching Jesse briefly. He didn't look like he had cried, he looked sad though; something that instantly made her feel sad as well.

"What happened?" she asked carefully, gently stroking over his arm while keeping on watching him. "Was someone mean to you at school?"

Jesse shook his head.

"Did you have any problems? Like with your homework? Or did you receive a bad grade?" Lindsay continued, remembering that a few days earlier he had had an exam. "You know, that's not bad. Bad grades can happen to everyone. Even Uncle Sheldon had some bad grades at school."

But again Jesse shook his head. "No bad grades."

"Then what else happened?" Lindsay wanted to know. "I know, you kids don't like it when your parents don't stop asking questions. But your Daddy and I are concerned because you're so sad."

"Better asking questions than ignoring me," Jesse said quietly, but loud enough for Lindsay to understand him.

"What do you mean?"

Again Jesse was silent for a couple of minutes. Then he turned around to her a bit more and Lindsay discovered the first tears in his eyes.

"I talked to Jamie today," he finally explained. "And he told me that since his baby brother was born, his parents have no time for him anymore at all. They don't play with him, they don't go to the playground with him anymore. They only play with the baby all the time and when he asks them if they can't play with him as well, they always say they have no time for him."

Listening to what Jesse was telling, Lindsay instantly understood what his problem was. Gently stroking over his cheek, she asked, "And now you're afraid we're going to do the same with you? That we're going to ignore you and won't have time for you anymore?"

Jesse shrugged. "No idea. I mean...since I live together with Daddy, he has always been there for me, whenever I needed him. He always played with me. And we went to the playground so often, and to the park and for a walk or we played at home. And when you came and became my Mommy, you did the same. I don't want you to ignore me because you have no time anymore."

The longer Lindsay listened to Jesse, the more she started to understand him. The little boy was excited because he was going to have a sibling. But he was also scared, especially when he listened to the stories other children were telling him.

"You don't have to be afraid that we'd ignore you," Lindsay answered then. "It's right, when the baby is born, your Daddy and I will have a lot to do. But this doesn't mean we won't have time for you anymore. It's your Daddy's and my job to organise that. And when we're playing with he baby, we can also play with you at the same time. We're a family Jesse. No one will ignore anyone, I promise."

She saw how the thoughts were running through Jesse's mind. She hoped he understood what she had tried to tell him; no one would ignore him. Never. But to her relief, a smile lit his face a moment later.

"You promise?" he asked.

Lindsay nodded. "I promise. And your Daddy will promise the same."

"Okay," Jesse replied, now causing Lindsay to smile as well. "So, what do we have for lunch today? It smelled like pasta."

"If I were you, I'd quickly go downstairs and check it out," Lindsay answered.

"Good idea," Jesse agreed, already moving to get up. A moment later he stormed downstairs. Lindsay followed him into the kitchen a few moments later. Jesse had already sat down at the table while Danny was filling the plates with food. When she stepped next to her husband, he briefly glanced at her.

"So, what was his problem?" he whispered. "And how did you make him feel good again?"

"He was just worried, because of something he was told by a friend," Lindsay answered. "Just make sure you never ignore him."

"Of course," he answered.

Lindsay nodded satisfied. When she and Danny sat down at the kitchen table as well, Jesse was already telling his famous stories about school. She could understand why he had been worried and why this boy had managed to make him feel insecure. But her answer had relieved him. Neither of them would ever ignore him, that was for sure.


	63. Good parents

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Here's a new chapter. It starts with a flashback. I hope you'll like it. :)**

_Danny didn't know how long he had been standing at the half opened door, staring into the dark of the child's room. Only a small lamp next to the bed gave some light. Jesse had wished it to stay on over the night. Danny had allowed it, willing to do everything to make it possible that the little boy could sleep without having nightmares._

_To Danny's luck and relief, Jesse had indeed slept through the entire night without waking up a single time. He could imagine though that this had to do with the fact that the boy had just been exhausted._

_Still leaning in the doorway, Danny remembered the day before. Finally he had gotten the permission to take care of Jesse, had prevented him from going into orphanage. Yesterday afternoon he had moved in with him. Last night had been Jesse's first night in his new home._

_Shaking his head, Danny continued staring at the small figure, tightly wrapped into the thick blanket. He still couldn't understand what had happened during the last time since he had found his two friends shot and their little son hiding in the kitchen, luckily unnoticed by those two persons who had broken into the house._

_Danny had no idea what had happened, but for some reason he had suddenly felt responsible for this young child. Jesse was just four years old. He knew the little boy, he had even played with him a few times when he had visited his old friend. Until now, Danny had never really been into children. But suddenly he felt like he couldn't just leave Jesse alone, couldn't just let them send him into orphanage, or into a foster family._

_So for some reason he had tried everything that was possible to get the permission to become Jesse's foster parent. Everything had worked so quickly that he hadn't had any time to think about whether his decision had been right or not. Every question about that from his friends had been pushed away. He had to do it._

'_You have no idea how to raise a child,' he thought. 'You have no idea how to treat him, what to allow, what not. You have no experience with children. And after all that happened to him, he surely won't just accept you as his Daddy.'_

_But now there was no way back anymore. He had decided to take this responsibility, despite what some people had told him. He wouldn't disappoint anyone._

_And so Danny took a deep breath and entered the room. Slowly and quietly he walked over to the small bed and knelt down next to it. The sight of the sleeping boy instantly warmed his heart. Deep inside he knew what he was doing was completely right. He just had to trust in himself._

"_Hey Jesse," he said softly, gently stroking through the boy's short hair. When he felt how Jesse tensed lightly and moved to turn around to him, he added, "It's time for breakfast."_

"_I'm tired," the boy mumbled, opening his eyes just enough so he could look up at him. "Can I sleep five more minutes?"_

_Danny nodded. "Of course. Do you have any wishes for breakfast?"_

_Jesse was silent for a moment. Then he answered. "Can we have pancakes?"_

"_Absolutely," Danny answered, giving the boy a warm smile. "You like pancakes?"_

_Jesse nodded. "I can even do them myself."_

"_Oh, really?" Danny asked. "Do you want to help me with them then? I'm sure then they'll be even better."_

_Again Jesse nodded and to Danny's surprise, the boy already moved to get up. Together they went into the kitchen. He knew it was still a long and rocky path, but Danny knew, if he listened to his instincts, he would find a way to get through to the boy one day._

"Mommy?" Jesse asked while he helped his mother to implant new flowers in the flowerbed in the garden.

"Yes, Jesse?" Lindsay asked. Briefly she glanced up towards the other end of the garden, where Danny was taking care of the new swings they had bought.

"Is it right that Uncle Don and Auntie Stella want a baby?" the little boy asked while trying to get one of the flowers out of the flowerpot. When he finally managed to get it out, not with covering himself in dirt, he smiled proudly.

"What?" Lindsay asked, again looking at Danny.

"I didn't tell him anything," Danny replied, grinning. It wasn't the first time their son had heard something he wasn't supposed to know yet. Danny was always amused by Lindsay's surprised reactions to that.

"So is it true or not?" Jesse wanted to know.

"Why don't you ask them instead of us?" Danny asked back, but Lindsay shook her head.

"No, don't ask them about that. It was already enough that you almost urged them to move in with us," she said. "And yes, it's right. They want to have a baby as well."

After living together with the little boy for so long now, Lindsay had gotten used to his curious questions. Luckily she knew she didn't have to tell him how Stella and Flack would make this baby. To her relief Danny had done this talk a while before the three of them had met.

"So there'll be two new babies soon?" Jesse asked.

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah, looks like that. First your sibling will be born, and somewhere later Uncle Don and Auntie Stella will have a baby as well."

"Is it nice to have a child?" Jesse continued asking.

"Of course it is," Lindsay answered. "But no surprise- your Daddy and I can be lucky we have a sweet boy like you. Right, Danny?"

Danny nodded. "Exactly. And I'm sure Uncle Don and Auntie Stella will love being parents as much as we do."

"That's cool," Jesse answered. "Maybe one day I will have children as well then." Setting the flower he had just freed from its flowerpot, down, he turned around to his father and added, "Daddy, when will you finish with the swings?"

"I just did," Danny answered, smiling at the sparkles that instantly appeared in Jesse's eyes.

"Oh, can you maybe continue helping Mommy while I try it?" the little boy asked, already getting up. "I mean, I worked really hard..."

"Yeah, yeah," Danny answered. "Go and try it. I will help Mommy."

"Yay!" Jesse exclaimed, already rushing over to the swing. Chuckling, Danny walked over to where the boy had been sitting before, joining Lindsay on the ground.

"I knew he would love his swings," he said.

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah. Now he'll spend the whole summer on it." She was quiet for a moment, watching Danny continuing what Jesse had been doing before. Then she added, "You really love having kids. I can't believe you really once doubted you could be a good father."

Danny smiled at her comment. "I think that shows how much I changed since then," he answered. "I had absolutely no idea how to raise a child. It came with the time, so did the confidence."

"I'm still not really confident," Lindsay answered.

Looking at her, Danny raised his eyebrows. "You are not confident? In what? Being a good parent?" When she nodded, he added, "Oh, come on. Don't say that. You're the best mother I can imagine. You're wonderful, and you know Jesse loves you since the beginning. Just relax. You're doing an awesome job."

Lindsay couldn't help but blush at that. "Thank you."

While Jesse tried the swings, Danny and Lindsay continued working. Having kids indeed could be very difficult. But both had been honest; they loved having kids. They loved being parents.


	64. Follow Your Instinct

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading and for the sweet reviews! Looks like my muse finally came up with some ideas for this story again, so I will try to update it more often! Special thanks to afrozenheart412, Desiree1989, cyn23 and CSINYBabyy!**

**Chapter 64: Follow Your Instinct**

_Danny was sitting in his living room, staring at the tv without really seeing anything. He didn't care about the game he was supposed to watch, like every Saturday. No, instead he was thinking about something else. He was thinking about the little four years old boy, who was sitting in his new child's room next door now._

_Despite what some people had tried to tell him, Danny was convinced that his decision had been right. He wondered what Jesse himself was thinking though. He hadn't expected that the boy would instantly accept him as his new father, and Danny wasn't sure if he was ready for being his Daddy already himself._

_But Jesse wasn't a talker at all. At the moment, he hardly ever spoke. Sometimes he told him brief stories about what was happening in kindergarten. This was everything though. Danny could understand that the boy wasn't willing to be too close to him yet, to let him in. He needed more time. Anyway he wished to know how the boy felt while living at his place now._

_Deep in his thoughts, Danny almost missed when the door of the child's room was suddenly opened. Jesse left his room, but stopped in the doorway._

"_What are you doing?" he asked. Snapping out of his thoughts, Danny turned around to him, seeing the little boy watching him shyly._

"_Oh, I'm just watching a game," he answered. "Do you like baseball?"_

_Jesse nodded. "Yes."_

"_If you want we can watch it together then," Danny suggested._

_Again Jesse nodded. Slowly he walked over to the couch and climbed onto the free space next to Danny. For a moment he wondered if he should say more. Then he decided to be quiet and wait though. At least Jesse had left his room and was willing to spend some time together. Even if it only was for watching a game on tv._

"_Can you play baseball?" Jesse asked after a couple of minutes. Turning to the boy, Danny noticed he was watching him now, true curiosity in his eyes. A tiny smile lit Danny's face at this expression; he was stepping into contact with him. That was good._

"_Yeah. I played baseball a while ago," Danny answered. "I'd even say I was really good."_

"_Really?" Jesse asked, his eyes widening in surprise. "You never told me."_

"_You never asked," Danny replied, smiling warmly. "If you want I can show you how to play baseball. In the park you can practice really well. And it's not as difficult as it looks like, really."_

"_That would be cool," Jesse answered, turning his attention back to the screen. Danny watched him for another moment, still smiling. A tiny, brief conversation, but now he had a topic he could talk to the boy about. And he'd keep his promise; he'd show it to him._

_The two were silent for another few minutes, both watching the game. Danny could still feel that there was more Jesse wanted to ask. He decided to wait though, knowing that if the boy was willing to talk, he would start it himself. He didn't have to wait long._

"_Will I live here forever now?" Jesse asked._

_Danny hesitated for a moment. Of course he had expected this question to come one day. Still he wasn't completely sure what to answer. He was Jesse's foster parent now and he wasn't going to send him away at all. There was no one the boy could go to but to another foster family or into orphanage. So actually the answer was easy; yes, Jesse would stay._

"_Yes, I think you will," he answered then. He hesitated for another moment before he added, "Would you like to stay here with me?"_

_Curious, almost nervous, Danny watched the boy. What would he say? He knew Jesse was like all kids; he was honest. He would tell him whether he liked being together with him or not._

"_Yes," Jesse said then, not needing long to think about an answer. "It's nice here."_

_Danny released a tiny, relieved sigh. He had been hoping for this answer so much. There had been a lot of opportunities he had expected. This had been his wished answer and he was glad to know that Jesse thought living with him was nice. It didn't mean he'd accept him as some kind of father though._

"_Danny?" Jesse continued, his voice already revealing there was coming more. "I can't go back to them anymore, right?"_

"_To Jake and Dana?" Danny asked. "I mean...to Mommy and Daddy?" When Jesse nodded, he added, "No, unfortunately not. You're...missing them, right?"_

_Jesse nodded. Danny could see the familiar sad expression returning. He had hoped they could avoid this topic, but he wasn't sure if this was so good for the little boy. Maybe it would help him much more if he got his feelings out. There was no chance to avoid this topic. Suppressed memories wouldn't help at all._

"_It's so mean," Jesse said quietly._

"_I know. It really is," Danny agreed. He saw how new tears started to rise in the boy's eyes. Carefully he reached out. But before he could even touch the boy's shoulder, Jesse suddenly moved over to him and before Danny could react, he had closed his arms around him, crying. Quietly Danny simply rubbed his back, waiting until the crying slowly became quieter again. Being someone who didn't show much emotions himself, this situation wasn't easy for him either. But he was determined to follow his instinct; it wouldn't betray him._

_After several long minutes, the crying finally became quieter and quieter until it stopped. Danny waited another few minutes before he started to speak again._

"_Is it better now?" he asked. He felt how Jesse nodded. Slowly the boy loosened his grip around him, sitting up straight again. He looked at him for a few moments before he spoke._

"_I can really stay here, right?" he asked quietly. "You won't go away and you won't send me away?"_

_Danny nodded. "Of course you can stay here. I won't send you anywhere, and no one else will."_

_Jesse nodded, resting his head back against Danny's arm. "Good. Because you're friendly. I want to stay here with you."_

_Once again a warm smile lit Danny's face. This was the reaction he had been hoping for so much. Of course the little boy missed Dana and Jake. But he liked him and wanted to live together with him. Danny knew it'd take time, but he was there to support Jesse._

"I'm not sure the swings were such a good idea," Lindsay said when she joined Danny in the bedroom. She had just sent the little boy to bed, what hadn't been easy. Jesse was so excited about the new swings that it was hard to keep him away from them. "I think one day he'll want to sleep on them."

Lindsay wanted to say more, but stopped when she saw her husband. When she had entered the room, he hadn't even noticed her. When she had started to speak, he had snapped out of his thoughts. Lindsay knew Danny was a person who liked to think a lot. Luckily she had made him change enough to talk to her when something was wrong, but anyway she got nervous when he was so deep in his thoughts.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, climbing onto the bed as well.

"Yes, of course," Danny answered. "Why?"

"Because you were thinking?"

Raising his eyebrows at her, Danny shook his head. "And what's wrong with me thinking?"

"Nothing," Lindsay said. She moved to the top of the bed and rested against the headboard with her back. Then she took the book which was lying on the bedside table next to her; a pregnancy book the two of them had been reading lately. But instead of opening it, she kept on looking at Danny. "But if you don't mind I'd like to know what you've been thinking about anyway."

"It wasn't something special, really," he answered, moving up to her. "I was just thinking about the past. With Jesse." He paused for a moment. "I can't believe how much everything changed since I became his foster parent."

Lindsay nodded. "I can imagine. It surely wasn't easy, especially when you have no experience with children and when you're still quite young. Pretty much everything changed."

"Yeah," Danny agreed, already with a thoughtful expression again. "But you know, I didn't mind that at all. I couldn't go out like before, couldn't just pick some random woman up anymore. Jesse was the center of the whole attention. I needed to get closer to him, to make him trust in me. I was afraid he possibly liked me, but would never accept me as a father figure."

"Of course," Lindsay said. Although she and Danny had talked about how he had handled the situation with Jesse, those talks were still interesting for her. She had met Danny when he had already been Jesse's father, had even adopted him already. She had heard about how Danny had been before, but anyway it was difficult to imagine him any different. She could imagine how he had felt though.

"I'm sure it was even more difficult for you than for me," she continued then. "You also had to deal with the aftermaths of what he had to go through."

Again Danny nodded. "And now we're a real family." With a smile he added, "I can still remember how he suddenly started to call me 'Daddy'. At this point, I was already seeing him like my son as well. It was a great relief."

Smiling lightly, Lindsay nodded in agreement. "No surprise."

"I'm also glad he instantly liked you so much," Danny replied. "And that he wished to Santa that you'd become his new mother."

At the memory of this day, when Jesse had shown Danny his letter to Santa, Lindsay's smile widened even more. Yes, she could remember how she had felt then. She had fallen in love with Danny and had loved Jesse as well. Knowing that the boy had started to see her as his mother so quickly had been a wonderful feeling for her. And had made it a very easy decision for her to adopt him as well.

"I'm glad Jesse has a new family now," she said after they had been silent for a few minutes. "Your decision to take care of him possibly was one of the best decisions you ever made."

"Yeah, I know," Danny answered, anyway blushing lightly. "Together with my decision to go out with you and later to marry you and to have another child with you. We're a real family now."

"Yes, we are," Lindsay replied. "It's wonderful, isn't it?"

"It is," Danny agreed. He took her book out of her hands again and rested it back onto the bedside table. Then he kissed her gently before he added, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Lindsay answered.

While the couple continued kissing and enjoyed being close like this, both of them felt a strong, wonderful feeling rising inside them. They were happy. Incredibly happy. Most of their decisions had been quick decisions. Both of them had learnt one lesson though; they had to follow their instincts. Because their instincts would always tell them what to do.

**Preview: Stella has a huge surprise which she has to tell Danny and Lindsay.**


	65. About Surprises And Secrets

**A/N: Huge thanks to everyone who's voted for this fic in my profile! Nice to see there are still people who are interested in it! Thank you so much to everyone for reviewing it and also for reading and adding it! Please keep on doing that! Special thanks to afrozenheart412, Desiree1989, DantanaMM, saderia, Linoria and Lola-Ladybug13!**

**Chapter 65: About Surprises And Secrets**

"Okay, we're heading to the park now," Danny said when he and Jesse came downstairs into the living room. Lindsay was sitting on the couch, reading a book. She looked up and the moment she saw the two, she couldn't help but laugh.

"Sometimes I wonder who of you is the kid," she replied, chuckling. Both, Danny and Jesse were dressed in sports clothes; t-shirts and shorts. Dressed like this, Danny didn't look like a grown up man but more like a teenager. She couldn't deny that he looked quite hot like this though, especially when he was grinning his famous grin.

"And what will you do, Mommy?" Jesse asked. "You can come with us. Daddy and I will show you how to play baseball. And Uncle Don will show you how to play basketball. Although he thinks you and Auntie Stella are too short for that, but I think you'd be good."

"Oh, Uncle Don said that, yeah?" Lindsay replied, playfully raising her eyebrows. "But don't worry, Jesse. I'll stay here and read a bit. I won't get bored."

Jesse shrugged. "Okay. You can read the baby a story maybe."

"I don't think the baby will be able to hear that though," Danny said, helping the talking boy to get into his shoes.

"Why not?" the little boy asked.

Danny sighed lightly. He turned back to Lindsay, giving her a warm smile, before he added, "Okay. Enjoy this quiet afternoon. And relax a bit. I love you."

"I love you, too," Lindsay replied. She had to bite her lips to not laugh when she heard Jesse's groan and his comment: "At least you didn't kiss again."

"Yeah, yeah," Danny replied, almost pulling Jesse with him out of the house.

Chuckling, Lindsay shook her head. With a smile on her face, she rested her hands on her now already visible belly. She was already sixteen weeks pregnant now. It was an amazing feeling to see how her belly seemed to grow a bit every day. First she had been sightly scared because of all those changes. Now she enjoyed them, knowing that Danny couldn't get enough of seeing how her pregnancy became more and more visible.

Still smiling, she grabbed the book she had just started again. But before she could continue, she was interrupted by her ringing cell. Already expecting it was Danny who had forgotten something, she took it, but was surprised when she read the caller ID though. Stella.

"Hey Stella," she answered the phone.

_Hey Linds, _Stella greeted back. Her voice was hitching lightly; she sounded like she had run a marathon. _Can I come over for a few minutes? Would that be okay?_

"Uh...yeah, of course," Lindsay answered. "Aren't you at work?"

_No, _Stella replied. _I'll be at your place in a few minutes._

"Okay...see you then," Lindsay said, but Stella had already hung up. Surprised and confused, she stared at her phone. What was going on now? As far as Lindsay knew, Stella was supposed to be at work. This was the reason why Flack joined Danny and Jesse in the park.

But luckily she didn't have to wait long. Like Stella had said, the doorbell rang a few minutes later. Lindsay had just opened the door when Stella already entered the house, rushing into the living room.

"Hey Stella," Lindsay welcomed her, closing the door again. "Okay...now what's going on?"

Stella stopped half way through the living room, turning around to Lindsay. To Lindsay's relief, her best friend was smiling broadly. Obviously she was incredibly excited, barely able to prevent herself from blurting out what had caused this state she was in. This was the moment when Lindsay got an idea of what might have happened.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work?" she wanted to know. "Stella? Come on, what's going on?" She was excited herself now, hardly able to wait until her friend would reveal her news.

"I don't have to work today," Stella answered, still hardly able to control her voice. "It was just because I didn't want Don to know what I was really doing."

"And what were you doing?" Lindsay asked. The two women were still standing in the middle of the living room instead of finally sitting down. But both were too excited to even notice it.

"I've been at my doctor's," she explained. "Actually I've planned to make a dramatic pause now or whatever to surprise you. But...I'm just too excited. Lindsay, I'm pregnant!"

The moment Stella had spoken it out, Lindsay could only stare back at her friend. She needed a bit until she realised what her friend had just told her. Then a huge smile lit her face.

"Oh my god, really?" she asked, still not able to trust in her own ears. "You're going to have a baby? Already?"

Stella nodded. The first tears were rising in her eyes already as her smile seemed to even widen. "Yes. I can't believe it worked so quickly. Maybe it was supposed to happen. I...still can't believe it."

"I know. It's amazing," Lindsay replied, feeling tears rising in her eyes as well. "I'm so happy for you, Stella."

With that she closed her friend into a tight embrace. At this point her heart was racing, she almost felt the way she had as she had found out about her own pregnancy not too long ago. It was a feeling that was too wonderful for words. Her best friend would have a baby, just like her. Those were amazing news. Lindsay knew how much Stella had wanted to have a child. She and Danny had been relieved to find out that Flack had the same wish. After the couple had finally talked about having their own children, Danny and Lindsay had been waiting for them to announce the happy news. That this'd happen so quickly though was a wonderful surprise.

"Looks like we have a lot in common," Stella said when the two finally walked over to the couch to sit down. With the back of her hand she wiped away the first few tears. "You and Danny got engaged, married and pregnant so fast. And now Don and I are doing the same."

Lindsay chuckled. Yes, she had noticed that as well. She had always felt a sister-like connection to Stella, and the longer they were friends, the more she felt like they were indeed siblings. There was just something between them which she had never experienced with another friend before. She knew she could come to Stella, whenever she needed it, no matter because of what. She knew her friend would always do the same. There was a closeness both women needed and they were grateful they had found it in each other.

"So Don doesn't know you went to the doctor's today?" she asked.

Stella nodded. "I want to surprise him. I know he's as excited about it as I am. I want to see this expression he always has when he's surprised."

"It'll be a surprise, that's for sure," Lindsay answered. "So, how are you going to do it?"

"I'm not sure yet," Stella answered. She was still excited, slowly calming down now. "I already got my first ultrasound picture. I'll surprise him with that I think."

"You have a picture? May I see it?" Lindsay wanted to know.

Again Stella nodded. She opened her handbag and pulled the small pictures out of it. Looking at it, Lindsay smiled even more. She could clearly remember how excited Danny was whenever he saw an ultrasound picture. Flack wouldn't be any different. This would be a wonderful surprise for him. And while the two women kept on adoring the small picture, they started to create a plan for how Stella could surprise him best.

--------

"We're back home," Danny shouted when he opened the front door. He hadn't even managed to open the door completely, when Jesse already rushed into the living room. "Hey, slow down, kid."

But Jesse didn't listen to him. To his luck, he didn't even only find Lindsay in the living room, but Stella as well.

"Mommy, Mommy!" he shouted, jumping onto the couch across of them, still dressed in his dirty clothes and shoes. "Oh, you have no idea how cool baseball was today! I was so good, I always won. Uncle Don and Daddy said I'm learning really fast and maybe one day I can be a professional baseball player! They didn't say that, but why not? I mean, it's so cool and I don't want any other job anyway."

"I thought you wanted to be a CSI one day," Lindsay replied, trying hard to not laugh. After the first shock caused by the sudden noises, she couldn't help but smile about how adorable the little boy could be, especially when he was excited.

"Yeah, true," Jesse said, obviously remembering his other dream job. "Then I'll simply do both."

"That'd mean a lot to do for you though," Stella answered, but Jesse shook his head.

"Nah, I can handle that," he said.

"Possible," Danny, who had finally managed to close the door and join them in the living room, replied. "But before you start a career as a baseball playing CSI, you better go upstairs into the bathroom. Did you already look at yourself? And what did Mommy and I tell you about wearing shoes on the couch?"

Groaning, Jesse slid down from the couch again. "Always those rules you have to follow," he sighed.

"You'll have to follow rules as well when you're playing baseball," Danny added, smirking at how the boy rolled his eyes. But like always, Jesse listened anyway and despite his sighing, walked upwards towards the bathroom.

"A baseball playing CSI," Lindsay repeated what the little boy had said. "Wow, our boy is going to be one famous little guy one day."

Chuckling in response, Danny, who didn't look much cleaner than his son, let himself fall onto the couch. It took him another moment before he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Stella? Aren't you supposed to be at work?" he asked.

Lindsay had already started to wonder when he would ask this question. Luckily she and Stella had already prepared for this moment and so Stella already had the fitting answer.

"I know," she said, to Lindsay's surprise without blushing at all this time. Obviously her best friend had much more control over herself than her. "That was just an excuse though. I have a surprise for Don and I didn't want him to ask questions."

The word 'surprise' instantly caught Danny's attention. Now looking even more curious, he asked, "What? A surprise? Am I allowed to know what it is?"

But Lindsay shook her head. "Not yet. You'll find out what it is early enough." For a brief moment she regretted her answer when she saw the slight disappointment in Danny's eyes. But Stella didn't know if she would have the chance to tell Flack about the baby this day already and she didn't want Danny to accidentally congratulate his best friend for something he didn't know about yet.

"Oh, a surprise for Don? Come on," he argued. "As if I'd run to him and tell him about it. We're not in highschool anymore, and even then I didn't do it." To Stella, he added, "You also knew about the proposal."

This time, Stella couldn't prevent herself from blushing. "I know. Don't worry, Lindsay will tell you what it is later." She glanced at her watch before she added, "I think I should go now anyway."

Nodding, Lindsay got up as well. "But you'll call later, alright?"

"Of course," Stella answered. After embracing Lindsay and saying good-bye to her two friends, Stella followed Lindsay to the front door. Lindsay could clearly feel how nervous her friend was, and she could understand her. She hadn't felt any different when she had found out about her pregnancy herself.

"He'll be happy, don't worry," she whispered when she opened the door.

"I know," Stella answered. With a light smile, she added, "It's amazing, isn't it? Since I'm together with Don, I...feel like I've changed so much. I mean, I have no idea when I've been so excited for the last time."

Lindsay nodded. She knew what Stella was talking about. Her best friend had indeed changed a lot since they had met. The two had always been very close. But the longer they knew each other, the stronger their friendship had become and the less they kept in mind that actually Stella was her boss. Since Stella was together with Flack, she had changed even more. Now she was much more relaxed. So Lindsay hadn't been surprised how excited Stella had been about the fact she was engaged and now even pregnant.

When Lindsay returned into the living room, Danny was still sitting on the couch, watching her. She knew him good enough to know he wouldn't accept a simple 'I'll tell you later'.

"Shouldn't you go upstairs and shower as well?" she asked when she joined him on his couch.

But Danny shook his head. "Nice try. I will go and shower, after you told me about the surprise."

"But...Danny, come on," she tried to convince him, but again Danny shook his head.

"I promise I won't tell anyone. Really," he said. "Now tell me what it is."

Again Lindsay hesitated. But as much as she was convinced to not reveal anything, how could she resist his pleading?

"Okay," she sighed then. "But you won't talk to Don about this topic until he comes to you himself."

Danny nodded. "I promise."

"Good." Lindsay took a deep breath. Then she answered, "Stella is pregnant."

Like she herself earlier, Danny needed a moment to get what she had said. Then his eyes widened in surprise and a broad smile lit his face. "Seriously? You aren't kidding me?"

"Of course not," Lindsay replied, amused by the disbelief in his eyes, mixed with pure joy.

"Wow, that means our two best friends are going to have a baby?" he asked amazed. "That's...just wow."

"I know," Lindsay agreed. She was feeling the same way about those news. It was stunning, it was a huge surprise and it was the best she could have wished for their two friends; to have their own little family, just like them.

"Stella and Don are going to have a baby. What wonderful news," Danny said, still in awe and amazement. "And she is going to surprise him with that?"

Lindsay nodded. "Yes."

"What a surprise! Don is already waiting for her to tell him it worked," Danny replied. He paused for a moment, then shook his head as his smile widened. "Stella and Don are going to be parents, just like us. How wonderful, I can't get over that."

"Uncle Don and Auntie Stella are going to have a baby?" an all too familiar voice interrupted them. Almost jumping, the couple stare up towards the stairs. Jesse, now cleaned and dressed in normal clothes again, was standing there, grinning at them. "Cool."

Danny and Lindsay exchanged a brief glance. Of course the boy had to hear about those news. What else had they expected?

"Yeah, cool. But you won't tell anyone about that, okay?" Danny said then. "I mean it. It's like with the proposal. No one is allowed to know about it."

"Oh, another secret?" Jesse asked excited. "That's cool! I won't say a word. I'm a good secret agent."

With that, the conversation was ended for the little boy again and he already rushed back upstairs again. Lindsay continued staring at the stairs for a moment before she looked back at Danny.

"The two of you really won't say a word?" she asked, raising her eyebrows lightly.

"You know us, don't you?" Danny asked back.

There wasn't much Lindsay could reply to that. When it came to secrets, so much she had learnt, she could trust in Danny and Jesse. The best example had been the proposal. It had been a complete surprise for her. But she was also sure that those news wouldn't be a secret for long anyway. Knowing her best friend good enough now, she could be sure that Stella would tell Flack about the baby the moment she arrived at home.

**Preview: Danny and Lindsay don't have to keep Stella's pregnancy a secret; how will Flack react to it?**


End file.
